His heart beat so fast it made him dizzy. He couldn’t breathe, his stomach muscles contracted, his temples throbbed as 38-year-old Julio thought his skull was going to be sucked off his head. Astrid, his 35-year-old wife had just said, “I don’t know if I want to be with you anymore!” The bliss illusion [...]
“I’m really sad that it happened again,” Yasmin said in a low voice. “He accused me of looking at other guys in the café when I wasn’t. But when he ogles women and I get upset he flies off the handle and tells me I expect too much and should back off.”Dashed expectations were a [...]
Zara, a 33-year-old medical genetic researcher came out of the shower at 8:00 am, and sat at her dinette. Her body started to shake. Her trembling hands dropped the coffee pot over the counter top, splashing the hot liquid on her clean shirt. Her heart and breathing rate escalated until she felt faint. She [...]
Genuine versus fasle affection: what's real and what isn't? “He only gives me a hug goodnight because I complained about how little we touch. But it isn’t real. He’s only doing it because it’s on his list. It doesn’t feel like genuine affection, and I’d rather not have it,” said 36-year-old Marion describing her [...]
Julio a 43-year-old solar panel engineer had a natural genius for noticing a problem and fixing it. It was a gift he used to make his partner Geena, a 44-year-old artisan baker happy and satisfied. He expected that she would be enthralled, take him into her world and keep him there, safe, cozy, and [...]
The disappointment loop – Shannon’s story Shannon a 40-year-old sales manager sighed deeply as her husband Dario, a 41-year-old robotics engineer, declined her help in the backyard and ignored her when she asked him to cuddle up on the sofa to watch a show in the evening. The disappointment loop kicked in again – [...]
“Why does my wife never acknowledge everything I do for her, and only focus on the one time I forgot to call her when I was late home?” Marcus a 38-year-old realtor pleaded. “I try to tell her I love her every day, make sure we are on good terms before we go to [...]
Sabina a 37-year-old veterinarian was stunned when she discovered she was pregnant. She hadn’t planned it, and nor had her husband Zev, a 39-year-old anesthesiologist. In fact both had been wedded to their careers rewarded by being able to travel all over the world, without being tied down as parents of young children. Sabina’s [...]
“I can’t stop going to prostitutes for sex. I hate myself for it, but I can’t stop. I hate doing this to my girlfriend, but it’s all I think about. After the sex I feel disgusted with myself, but I keep doing it. I’ve tried hard to give it up but I can’t. I [...]
“I’m just even,” 38-year old Francesca said, as she moved her right palm horizontally in a flat line. She said that nothing felt palatable; and that if she felt some excitement at being asked to go out with a friend, it died down almost immediately. She couldn’t keep the flame of desire going long [...]
