Feeling angry or resentful toward family members is a common experience that can arise from various psychological, emotional, and situational factors. Whether it’s a parent, sibling, or extended relative, conflicts within families can make maintaining harmonious relationships challenging and stressful. The good news? There are strategies to navigate relationships with…
Sometimes, the world can feel overwhelming, and it’s easy to believe that people might be at the root of our frustrations. Coexisting with others isn’t always simple; differences between us—or even shared traits that reflect things you don’t like about yourself—can make interactions challenging. When spending time with others no…
I entered my first real relationship in the 7th grade (I know—young) and stayed in this relationship until my freshman year of college. I’ll do the math for you: this relationship took up roughly six years of my life. In other words, at the age of 18, I had spent…
Trust issues are characterized by fear of betrayal, abandonment, or manipulation. And this fear is often triggered as a result of betrayal (such as infidelity), abandonment (think: leaving a child or foregoing a relationship with them), or manipulation (for example, dishonesty or gaslighting). If someone you trusted — a partner,…
Positive psychology is a therapeutic approach that helps clients emphasize and learn from the positive aspects of life. Unlike traditional psychology, which often focuses on diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, positive psychology aims to enhance well-being by cultivating strengths and virtues. This approach helps clients create a fulfilling and meaningful…
Trauma can have a variety of impacts on survivors, and each is often intense in its own way. One such impact traumatic experiences can have is called a “trauma bond.” Trauma bonding is a strong connection that occurs between victims/survivors and perpetrators of trauma or abuse. These bonds are complex…
Q: Marriage advice needed My marriage of over 20 years is in deep trouble. How do you reconnect with someone you have ZERO intimacy with or seem to have no meaningful relationship with? We go through day-to-day life like we are roommates. We rarely have difficult conversations about our relationship….
Thriveworks recently commissioned a study investigating whether a potential romantic partner’s therapy status would impact the likelihood of a respondent pursuing a relationship with them. According to the results, some Americans are much more likely to enter into a relationship with someone who has attended therapy, seeing it as a…
Kids depend on their parents in many senses, but especially emotionally. However, sometimes parents can seek a level of emotional support from their child that should be pursued and fulfilled in an adult relationship. This dynamic is called “emotional incest,” with the child taking on an inappropriate level of emotional…
Navigating commitment issues in a relationship — sometimes referred to as gamophobia — can be challenging, and recognizing the signs is the first step toward resolving them. The root causes of these issues can vary, but often, they stem from a fear of vulnerability, fear of abandonment, lack of trust,…
Q: Someone who lives with me has their gf over. The guy and his gf go off with someone I don’t know. Each time they come back, she starts flailing around and making weird noises and asking invisible people to help her. She claims it’s just a panic attack. So…
Imagine suffering a terrible loss and not having it be understood by hardly anyone. Sounds pretty awful, no? Unfortunately, that’s exactly what disenfranchised grief is—a profound and often overlooked emotional pain experienced by individuals following a significant loss that society does not fully acknowledge or validate. Disenfranchised grief can have…
