Relationships with others are a complex, fascinating dynamic that most of us spend our entire life trying to understand, master, and continuously improve. The way we show up in a partnership today is a culmination of the experiences in relationships throughout our lives – those with parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, and other loved ones. This collective experience creates our current relationship attachment system and guides our decisions about relationships moving forward.

The role of your attachment system

Many have heard about attachment, but fewer people understand what it is and how it affects relationships. Attachment refers to the emotional and physical bond that is created between an infant ...

The holidays are classically known as a joyful time to unite with friends, family, and loved ones. The media portrays a consistent image that the holidays are a blissful time of reunion and generosity. This experience is most likely the ideal. Yet, thousands of people are coming out of a breakup or divorce each year during the holidays and learning to cope with feelings of loneliness for perhaps even the first time during this season. Others find themselves unable to travel to spend time with loved ones due to financial or work constraints. Below we’ll outline ways to proactively plan and celebrate a joyful, solo holiday season.

It’s often true that differing opinions can enrich and positively affect a relationship – whether that be a romantic relationship, friendship, or family dynamic. Not seeing eye-to-eye can oftentimes lead to embracing important values like empathy and can help broaden our personal perspectives. Stepping into another’s shoes and listening to his/her opinion on important issues can be an opportunity to learn and grow. This ...

Many couples struggle with a partnership that is built on an ideal of “perfect.” The expectation that a partner shouldn’t do anything slightly “wrong,” and the nit-picking and fault-finding that accompanies such partnerships, can leave the criticized partner feeling confused and frustrated, wondering what they have done wrong and how they can make it right again. However, it usually has less to do with what the criticized partner did or did not do. Instead, the roots may lie in childhood dynamics, past relationship patterns, and/or control issues.

No matter the culprit of such criticism from a partner who points out every little thing wrong – from the way someone ...

In a world of speed dating and swiping, it’s more difficult than ever to make an authentic connection with a potential love interest. Online dating is a constant distraction reminding us to question “what else is out there” and open relationships are more commonplace than ever.

As a mindful dater in this world, it probably feels extremely challenging to truly get to know someone in a timely manner. Finding the right place and enough time in your schedule to truly talk and get to know someone can be difficult in our increasingly complex and digital world.

Below you’ll find five date ideas that help facilitate getting to know someone ...

You have, no doubt heard of ghosting, but a new dating trend is leaving people feeling unclear about where they stand. Here’s one take on BENCHING.

There’s a new dating tactic in town and if you’ve been out there chasing love, you’ve probably encountered this sneaky, but effective scheme. It’s called “benching.”

Since it was first written about by New York Times writer Jason Chen, many have said that benching is the new form of ghosting—when someone you are dating suddenly stops all contact… texting, calling, emails, dates. And poof—they’re out so fast that you may think that the connection was all just a ...

If you are single and living now, in the 21st Century -- at a time of rapidly evolving technology and instant gratification, you have probably given online dating some consideration. Most of my clients share that they have hesitations around it, yet feel that it’s necessary to try as a way to potentially overcome challenges of meeting aligned partners.

Online dating can be a vital channel to meet high-quality people, yet there is still a stigma of desperation around this approach to dating. Others view online dating as an “unnatural” means to find a partner, that they’re somehow cheating the natural course of relationships. Below, we’ll outline considerations for ...