With Mother’s Day recently past and Father’s Day upon us, these days often evoke comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. Fond remembrances and pleasant current happenings can be shadowed by past and present regrets, guilt, resentments, disappointments and even anger. Take a moment to get grounded, take a couple of deep breaths, and think of each […]
Co-Dependent Tendencies
According to John Bradshaw, “co-dependency is the most common family illness.” Co-dependence is a set of maladaptive, compulsive behaviors learned by a person in order to survive in a stressed or dysfunctional family. Dysfunctional families involve a primary stressor such as the presence of alcoholism, depression, passive/aggressiveness, actual illness or death, abuse, or the controlling […]
Healthy Boundaries
Healthy boundaries are the fences that keep us safe – something we may not have experienced in childhood. Take a moment to consider the boundaries in your childhood home? Did others respect your physical and emotional boundaries? Were you able to set boundaries with others? Most often, we were not taught to consider our needs […]
Relationship Dynamics
Why does our partner bug us after a while? Why do we tend to become ‘like my mom’ or feel like the ‘parent’ or ‘child’ in the relationship? When we are in that ‘falling in love stage,’ a part of us leaps into ‘the wild blue yonder’ – somewhere far away and exciting; a place largely based upon […]
The Brain in Love
Romantic love is associated with the early phases of a relationship – the ‘falling in love’ stage. This love is based on attraction and is characterized by euphoria, focused attention, and obsessive thinking about the person. These symptoms are attributed to increased levels of certain neurotransmitters – specifically dopamine – which have the same effect […]
Communication: Is Anyone Listening?
Often during conversations we feel we are not fully understood by the listener. Over time, this lack of being heard can lead to feelings of disconnect, ‘Why bother say anything in the first place?’ frustration, self-doubt, and arguments. It takes both a good speaker and a good listener to make meaningful connections. We can start with some […]
