Therapy for Relationships
Therapy can be very effective for working through painful feelings about close relationships — even when your partner isn't involved. The focus is on understanding relationship habits and experience, and the history behind them.
Understanding Relationships
Close relationships are what bring up attachment wounds most directly. Often without knowing it, we can be re-experiencing old feelings. Close relationships also offer a major opportunity for working through these painful traps.
Patterns of pursuing, avoiding, idealizing, anxiety, anger, and shut-down can be addressed. Fears such as "I'm too much," "I'm not enough," "people leave or disappoint me," or "I can't rely on others" can be lessened as the importance of all your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, somatic responses, hopes and fears are brought out, appreciated and given a voice.
The Journey
Therapy begins with creating a space to express feelings openly and identify the emotional meanings behind relationship behaviors. By bringing these feelings to the surface, you can begin to understand what drives your experience in close relationships. As understanding and compassion for your whole "internal family system" develops, you feel more security affirmation, fulfillment, boundaries and peace of mind in close relationships.
Together, we explore the family-of-origin system and attachment context for your current close relationships. Understanding where your patterns began — and recognizing that they developed for a reason — creates room for compassion and change.
The possibility of holding multiple perspectives in mind will be strengthened. Being able to separate an emotional response from a realistic response — and being able to reset to a realistic response — can be enhanced. Important attachment and personal needs are identified and honored.
Therapy focuses on communication and self-expression, and on identifying and understanding protective behaviors. As you develop new ways of relating, you can move beyond the patterns that once kept you safe but now hold you back from the closeness you want.
Your patterns make sense
A free consultation is a chance to talk about what you're experiencing and see if working together feels right. There's no pressure and no obligation.