Search Results for: Robert Firestone

Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. Lisa A. Firestone, Ph.D. Joyce Catlett, M.A. Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships proposes that sexual problems are largely related to defenses acquired through painful childhood experiences, and that individuals can be helped to overcome these challenges and become physically and emotionally closer to their partners. Sexuality can be one of the most fulfilling pleasures in life. Yet it is an aspect of relationship…

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CE Webinar: The Self Under Siege

…e approach to increasing differentiation, a four-step process developed by Robert Firestone, Ph.D. that involves: 1. Breaking with internalized thought processes, that is, the critical, hostile attitudes toward self and others. 2. Altering the negative personality traits in oneself that represent an incorporation of the aversive traits of one’s parents. 3. Identifying and relinquishing patterns of defense formed as an adaptation to painful events…

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Three Ways We Make Communication Impossible

…e Fantasy Bond is a major concept in psychological theory developed by Dr. Robert Firestone. To learn more about The Fantasy Bond, Register for our FREE webinar on Tuesday, April 24th from 11am-12pm PST. This webinar will present a model for an ideal relationship that combines emotional closeness and sexual intimacy, while each partner maintains a differentiated and individuated sense of self. Dr. Firestone will discuss characteristics of a relati…

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“Nobody Likes Me:” Understanding Loneliness and Self-shame

…eloped by psychologist and author of Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice Dr. Robert Firestone known as Voice Therapy. If someone is experiencing feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness or social isolation, it can be extremely beneficial to seek therapy. This can help them sort through where their self-shaming feelings come from and how to challenge them. Going through the steps of voice therapy with a trained therapist can have significant benef…

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How to Stop Fighting and Feel Close Again

…challenge our critical inner voice. Drop your half of the dynamic Dr. Lisa Firestone, co-author of Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships recommends what she calls “unilateral disarmament” as a tool couples can use to defuse arguments and be close again. “What it involves is momentarily dropping your side of the debate and approaching your partner from a more loving stance,” explained Firestone. “The idea is that when couples have tension between…

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Angry at Love

…they once adored. Why Do We Feel Angry at Love Directed Toward Us? As Dr. Firestone wrote in his blog, “You Don’t Want What You Say You Want,” “Most of us profess that we want to find a loving partner, but the experience of real love disrupts fantasies of love that have served as a survival mechanism since early childhood.” These “survival mechanisms” refer to the defenses we formed in response to undesirable circumstances in our early lives. In…

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Challenging the Fantasy Bond

…nnection. In this webinar, Dr. Lisa Firestone will explain her father, Dr. Robert Firestone’s, concept of the fantasy bond. She will discuss how the original “bond” that is formed in a family can keep people stuck in the past, reliving rather than living their own lives. The incorporation of these early fantasy dynamics can lead to limiting psychological defenses and a critical self-concept that go on to negatively impact how an individual relates…

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How to Deal with Jealousy

…ne, author of Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice. As she and her father Dr. Robert Firestone define it, the “critical inner voice” is a form of negative self-talk. It perpetuates destructive thoughts and feelings, driving us to compare, evaluate and judge ourselves (and often others) with great scrutiny. This is one reason why learning how to deal with jealousy is so important. This voice can fuel our feelings of jealousy by filling our heads with…

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How Your Attachment Style Impacts Your Relationship

…On-Demand Webinars     In this Webinar: This online workshop with Dr. Lisa Firestone will provide tools to help people heal insecure attachment, resolve trauma, integrate their… Learn More One essential way to do this is by making sense of your story. According to Dr. Dan Siegel, attachment research demonstrates that “the best predictor of a child’s security of attachment is not what happened to his parents as children, but rather how his parents…

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