Destructive relationship patterns can sneak into even the best bonds, messing things up before you know it. These types of destructive patterns can drain the joy right out of a relationship. So, let’s break them down, and try to find out how to break out of it. Key Points What do lions, tigers, bears, andContinue reading “The 3 Most Destructive Relationship Patterns and How to Break Them”
Tag Archives: relationships
How to apologize the right way to fix a relationship
There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Tension and conflict may arise between partners from time to time, but it’s important to be able to resolve issues and take responsibility for your actions. It is also crucial to apologize correctly in order to improve the relationship and not aggravate the situation. How to apologizeContinue reading “How to apologize the right way to fix a relationship”
Why You Hold Things In, and How to Stop
How to self-validate and express your feelings in healthier ways. Key points What would you do if you were irritated that your partner forgot about an important commitment, yet again? Maybe you’d tell yourself, “It’s not a big deal, don’t bring it up.” But when it happens for the third time, you explode, and yourContinue reading “Why You Hold Things In, and How to Stop”
Rebuilding Couples’ Communication With Emotionally Focused Therapy
Behavior can be changed authentically in couples’ therapy by accessing underlying emotions. Key points This post is part 2 of a series. The emotion-focused couples therapist guides clients to first fully connect with and understand their emotions, and then create new responses and interaction patterns (Johnson, 2007). Emotionally focused therapists use emotion tracking, reflecting, and heighteningContinue reading “Rebuilding Couples’ Communication With Emotionally Focused Therapy”
What to Do When a Partner Feels Like a Roommate
The pattern of mutual withdrawal and how couples can break it. Key points You and your partner hardly ever fight, but something is missing in your relationship—a sense of being lovers, of passion, of emotional intimacy, of closeness. The pain of missing out on a deep love that feels just out of reach is heartbreaking. AndContinue reading “What to Do When a Partner Feels Like a Roommate”
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Emotionally focused therapy can be understood from a bioecological perspective. Key points Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory emphasizes the influence of bidirectional interactions between the person, their context, and time, as well as the proximal processes of interaction between these different variables and the developing individual. Proximal processes are seen as the “engines of development,” the mostContinue reading “Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy”
Why Does Couples Therapy Work?
The 3 mechanisms of change, according to research. Key points Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy, Relational Life Therapy, Intimacy From the Inside Out Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy, Imago Relationship Therapy, Psychodynamic Couples Therapy… The list goes on and on. It can be challenging to choose a method of couples therapy whenContinue reading “Why Does Couples Therapy Work?”
How to Live: What the Dying Tell Us
The top regrets of the dying and how we can use them to live better lives. Key points Bronnie Ware, a hospice nurse, asked the dying what they regretted most. While it may have been too late for her patients, their answers can tell us about how we should be living while we still haveContinue reading “How to Live: What the Dying Tell Us”
Apartment Guide: Tips for Couples Cohabitating for the First Time
Here you can read excerpts from Amanda Tripp’s article published in Apartment Guide written for couples moving in together for the first time with tips on how to navigate moving together in a positive way. For cohabitating couples, moving in together is a big step that brings both excitement and challenges. Whether you’re settling into an apartmentContinue reading “Apartment Guide: Tips for Couples Cohabitating for the First Time”
The Truth About Female Sexual Desire Everyone Should Know
Here’s how to tap into female desire with science. Originally published on my Psychology Today Blog, Mindful Relationships That look—I know that look well. The furrowed brow, the sense of holding back tears, a slight downward tilt of the head: that look on a female client’s face when she tells me, “Never. I never reallyContinue reading “The Truth About Female Sexual Desire Everyone Should Know”