From the Blog
Are You Addicted to Dating?
There have always been people who were addicted to dating, but since the proliferation of online dating sites this problem has really taken off. Originally, online dating sites helped you meet someone to settle down with. But now, for many people, they are a chance to...
Love Addiction and Withdrawal
As infants we become attached to our primary caretaker. We call it bonding. As we begin to form our own identity, we begin to detach. We call this individuation. If we do not do this, then we never grow up and become our own person—the individual we were meant to be....
Love Addicts and Abandonment
"The lover says, I cannot love anyone else, I cannot give up loving, I cannot give up this love, for it would be the death of me and I would die of love." Soren Kierkegaard in Works of Love Many people have a fear of abandonment, but love addicts are terrified of...
Love Addiction and Dating with a Purpose
Most of the time, love addicts are very susceptible to dating anyone who they are attracted to and who shows some interest in them. Because they are love addicts and feel they need romantic love to be happy, they will settle for less than what they want. They will...
Why Codependents Use Denial as a Defense Mechanism
In many codependent relationships, addiction is part of the relationship. In Ramona M. Asher's book "Women With Alcoholic Husbands: Ambivalence and the Trap of Codependency," the issue of the interactive nature of the relationship, the effects of the addiction and the...
Learning to Recognize Narcissists and Gaslighting Behaviors
Many people know someone who is a narcissist. The American Psychological Association has listed narcissistic personality disorder or NPD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders since 1968. While there are relatively few diagnoses made, leading...
Stop Seeking Validation from Others: Practical Solutions to Use Today
It is very reasonable for anyone to want to have their ideas, choices, achievements, or even their opinions validated by those around them. After all, what is the first thing we do as children when we accomplish something? We look to our parents for recognition...
The Very Real Issue of Ghosting
One of the benefits, and also the potential pitfalls, of the always connected, always in-touch lifestyle people lead today is the ability to connect with people very easily and literally 24/7/365. A new friend or a potential partner could be just one social media post...
Creating Positive Mental Changes for Happy Relationships
Often, people have noticed a pattern in their life, where relationships that seem ideal quickly become toxic and partners that seemed like Mr. Right soon become Mr. Impossible. The reality for many people is that codependency is often difficult to identify. Many...
What Emotional Abuse Looks Like in Relationships
If you don't know what a codependent relationship is, it's when two people in a relationship surrender their independence and develop an unhealthy dependence on each other. In this dynamic one partner is so obsessed with the needs of the other, that they ignore their...