We have no doubt felt the euphoria of ‘falling in love.’ We meet someone who accepts us and offers the possibility of physical connection. We are instantaneously whisked away to the land of romance. We may soon find ourselves obsessing about the person, fantasizing about future scenarios and feeling a new sense of purpose and […]
How Parents Affect Our Adult Relationships
Our earliest relational experiences, usual parent-child ones, program whom we are drawn to and how we act within relationships. Idealized images of caretakers form in our childhood psyches. Jung termed this over-valued, emotionally laden and deified view of mother and father the ‘parental imago.’ Our parents, for the most part, accepted these idealized images. The […]
Getting our Needs Met
How do you know whether your needs are being fulfilled at any moment? Begin by looking at your feelings as they tell you if your needs are being fulfilled or are lacking. Ask your self, “How am I feeling?” when doing a certain activity (i.e. watching TV, doing a task, being with a certain person.) […]
Our basic needs
“I need a vacation!” “I really need a new pair of shoes.” The term need refers to necessity, compulsion and duty and may have been influenced by the Old English word neod meaning desire and longing. However, what do we really need? Needs are essential for survival. Beyond the obvious physical needs for survival, such […]
Asking for what you want
“Excuse me, my soup is cold. I would like it heated up.” For many, saying this statement to a server in a calm, respectful manner is difficult. Why so? Many people were raised in a home in which their thoughts and emotions were not valued. We learned that our inner world of feelings and desires […]
