Search Results for: lisa firestone/feed/2009/11/fear-of-intimacy

“Following the Breadcrumbs:” The Many Rewards of Curiosity

…of others. It creates more opportunities for personal growth and to create intimacy. Unsurprisingly, it strengthens our relationships. It even improves healthcare when doctors show more genuine interest in what their patients have to say. Perhaps one of curiositity’s greatest gifts is that it encourages us to have a more open attitude toward the world around us, which would naturally lead to more knowledge, understanding, connection, compassion, a…

Learn More

Do You Have an Honest Relationship?

…of vulnerability and openness that can actually lead to more closeness and intimacy. Be open to feedback – Just as we should be direct with our partner, we should be open to hearing honesty directed toward us. We should always be willing to listen to our partners and see things from their point of view. What are they trying to tell us about how they are experiencing us and feeling toward us? Rather than argue every small detail, we should look for…

Learn More

What You Need to Know About Mental Abuse

…l Pointing out your flaws in a non-constructive way Withholding affection, intimacy, and empathy from you Being isolated and emotionally disconnected Codependency; not treating you as a separate person Reversing the victim role to place blame on you If you believe you are being emotionally abused, seek support through friends, family or a counselor. The help of these individuals in your life can help you come up with a plan to set boundaries, take…

Learn More

How to Find a Good Therapist

…r family system all have an impact on how the couple functions. To rebuild intimacy in a strained partnership, specific training allows the therapist to help the couple interact more openly and safely and feel connected. There is no taking sides by the therapist. Each person needs to feel understood to build a more satisfying life together. The field of marriage and family therapy has changed much in recent years, so there are many possible models…

Learn More

How to Improve Your Relationships

…understanding themselves and their relationship. In her presentation, Dr. Firestone illustrates how defenses formed to deal with pain and anxiety in childhood later come to limit people as adults in their ability to develop and sustain attachments. She shows how negative inner thoughts toward oneself and others interfere with intimacy in relationships and how couples can learn to challenge such negative thoughts in order to achieve greater closen…

Learn More

How to Tell if You’re in the Wrong Relationship

…laming or attacking your partner? 2. Defensiveness – are you closed off to feedback from your partner? 3. Contempt – are you rolling your eyes, mocking or pushing your partner away? 4. Stonewalling – are you shut down in your interactions with your partner? Is your underlying tone and body language stand-offish or withdrawn? These four behaviors are all characteristics of relating in a fantasy bond as my father, Dr. Robert Firestone delineated in…

Learn More

A Fine Romance: Secrets to Making Love Last a Lifetime

…satisfied or living with spouses in quiet desperation, experiencing little intimacy, passion, romance or sex. Enter the Johnsons, Melva and Jesse, a handsome baby-boomer couple with two grown sons, who appear to be the poster pair for the happy couple category. They are Royal Oak psychotherapists and relationship experts, offering couples therapy and workshops. Upon arriving at their office, it becomes clear they can’t keep their eyes off of each…

Learn More

Why Is Honesty So Important in a Relationship?

…easiest conversations, but this kind of openness creates a richer level of intimacy and a much more solid foundation for a relationship. The more we can see being vulnerable and true to ourselves as a thing of value, the more we can allow ourselves to be known by another person. When we let someone know us, we wind up being loved for who we really are. And after all, isn’t that what we’re after in a relationship in the first place? Breaking Free F…

Learn More

How to Not Lose the "Me" When Becoming a "We"

…stic. They have a stronger sense of themselves so they are capable of more intimacy, love and passion in their relationship. Here are some ways to stay yourself in a relationship: Maintain your interests. When two people fall in love, they experience themselves and each other as separate individuals with distinct identities, and their own ideas, interests and friends. Their individuality makes them interesting to each other. Maintain interests tha…

Learn More

To Listen to a Child

…development, but of the calming effect they can have by reacting intelligently and sensitively to their child. A parent can cause lasting psychological problems by imparting their own anxiety, fear and frustration onto their child in times of stress. This book teaches parents a healthy way to respond to your child’s natural discomforts, wants and needs….

Learn More