Communication Skills
Appreciating Your Partner Starts Here and Now
It is such an important need to see and be seen. “To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.” —Anonymous I’ve often heard the words “I miss you” or “I can't wait to see you” when I travel. Who hasn’t [...]
Why Opening to Vulnerability Improves Relationship
When we are vulnerable with each other, our emotional load lightens. When we step back and take a deeper look at what we are seeking in intimate partnership, many of us find a desire for acceptance, support, and connection. Yet many couples get stuck in painful cycles with each [...]
How to Cultivate the Right Growing Conditions for Your Partner’s Acceptance
It can be tempting to think that your partner should accept you without any help.In my previous article, we looked at what acceptance is and how to give it. Now we look at how you can help a partner become more accepting. It can be tempting to think that your [...]
How to Accept Your Partner (Without Giving Up Your Power)
True acceptance is always done in a way that maintains your integrity.The desire for acceptance—and the lack thereof—is a prevalent theme in relationships.It can appear in an angry “Just accept it!” It can sound pleading, as in “Why won’t you just accept me the way I am?” There’s also pseudo-acceptance, [...]
How Body Language Affects Your Love Life (video)
In some ways, our nonverbal communication is more powerful than our words.Though many couples think that what they say is the most important thing for their partner, Gal Szekely discusses why the delivery of what you're saying is more important than the verbal message itself.The delivery is non-verbal communication, [...]
How to Love, Part 3: “Turning Toward” as Part of the Relationship Cycle
Our relationships are based on the success of many small everyday bids and responses.In my previous articles, we began exploring the essential step in the dance of love: “turning toward” (i.e., turning your attention to what your partner is experiencing). Now I invite you to consider the cycle, the movement [...]
3 Things to Ask Yourself Before Arguing with Your Partner
Ideally, a good, productive argument leaves both parties feeling more understood and closer. If you’re in a relationship and you have a pulse, you’re going to have disagreements with your partner. It’s inevitable. And, in my opinion, it is perfectly healthy to disagree, and even argue, with your partner [...]
When They Bolt Out of the Blue: How to Survive the “Houdini Phenomenon”
If someone disappears on you, it really is on them. As a psychotherapist, I hear countless dating stories and associated experiences of excitement, fear, anxiety, and rejection. It is natural that this topic would occupy a lot of space; after all, opening ourselves to love is one of the [...]