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 [...]
“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 [...]
“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 [...]
Unresolved Sibling Rivalry - the narrative of the co-dependent adult couple “I hate it when Bianca makes me feel small and incompetent, but I’d feel like a terrible person if I abandoned her,” said 35-year-old digital advertising consultant, Javier. “I hate it when Javier won’t let me out of his sight and taunts me [...]
How I helped My Client – Showing How She Set Herself Up to Deny Her Deepest Wish Susan a 38-year-old Dental Hygienist had always felt that she got a raw deal in life. Unloved and neglected by her parents, she was now rejected by her partner Mick when she made overtures for closeness, affection, [...]
“I’m really anxious - you haven’t spoken to me since last night!” Nico said to his partner Tamara when she nagged him to book his vacation dates at work so they could plan the family vacation. “I’m anxious that it’ll be too late and we won’t get a good cabin on the cruise ship,” [...]
Mandy vehemently denied agreeing to take the kids to their swim meet on Saturday morning, despite eagerly agreeing to do so the previous evening. Troy, her 40-year-old husband was astounded. He recalled her excitement along with the kids, anticipating digging into their favorite foods at their local weekend brunch eatery. But come Saturday morning, [...]
Silence between couples, especially between Max and Alysia was nothing new. Sometimes the silences were short lived as wounds were licked, but other times the silences were annihilating with no sense of recovery. For Max the silence between couples was a sign of great uncertainty, fueling his insecurity. The thundering silence in response to [...]
The emptiness of letting go was just as hard three years after 37-year-old Marion’s marriage ended as it had been when her husband called it a day, putting the fault squarely on her. She felt rubbished and longed for her ex-partner Simon to acknowledge his role in the failure of their marriage. This wish [...]
