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….
Romantic partnerships thrive on trust, intimacy, and honesty. When something starts to infringe on or inhibit that in a relationship, it can threaten its well-being. Though physically cheating is one of the most talked about ways that such trust gets broken, emotional affairs should also be taken into account. An…
An abusive relationship can consist of several traumatic events, which can cause these symptoms to stay present during the relationship as well as long after the relationship has ended. In the first month following a traumatic experience, if these symptoms are present, it is considered to be an acute stress…
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex and multifaceted mental health condition known for its diverse symptoms. While it affects individuals differently, a subset of BPD patients exhibit distinctive behavior patterns characteristic of what is commonly referred to as “petulant BPD.” This variant presents a unique challenge for both clinicians…
Relationships can provide numerous benefits—support, love, acceptance, belonging, companionship, and understanding, to name a few. However, they don’t come without their hardships. As time passes, people change, and sometimes it can be difficult to adapt to those changes when you see them in your partner or even yourself. If you…
Romantic relationships are complicated, to say the least. Throughout their duration, we encounter a variety of emotions — from profound happiness and elation to unbelievable despair and anger, and everything in between. Despite the widespread belief that healthy relationships never experience conflict, this is all normal. The key to creating…
To make mistakes is to be human—but when our actions result in us hurting someone we’re close to, it’s possible to lose their trust. And odds are, if you’re reading this, you’ve either lost someone’s trust, or are searching for ways to forgive someone for something they’ve done to you….
Everyone lies from time to time. Whether it’s to get out of work or spare someone’s feelings, lying every once in a while is normal and common. However, when someone lies frequently, they are known as a habitual liar. Lying often is harmful, and can even be a sign of…
Have you ever been in the midst of a conflict with your significant other and wished that you could rewind, start over, and reset? Maybe you didn’t know how to heal the emotional wounds that were inflicted in the heat of the moment—and still don’t. Sometimes an expert is required…
We all want to feel loved and valued by the people around us, but how do we get that? One type of connection that accomplishes this is emotional intimacy. Being emotionally intimate with people is an important part of developing relationships and allows us to create a deeper, more honest…
Q: My fiancé and I are going to have a couples counseling session on the 9th of august but he has abandonment issues with me, due to our past of me leaving when things got to be difficult and I’d shut down. How can I reassure him with action that…
There may come a time when someone with a mental illness — like depression, anxiety, or PTSD — needs your help. While mental health conditions require proper treatment from a mental health professional like a counselor or psychiatrist, you can provide help in the form of comfort, reassurance, and support. Are…
