Love is one of the most powerful and compelling themes of human experience—cloaked in mystery, and enchanting our imagination with longing and desire. Countless works of literature, poetry, art, and sculpture have been devoted to capturing both the ecstasy and the ache of this elusive force. Love has long served
If you would have told me a year ago that I would fully transfer my private practice into cyberspace, I would have laughed. My office was at the heart of my clinical work. It was the space where the magic happened. Although online therapy has been around for quite some
Beach, sunset, two bodies pressed against each other in passionate embrace aaand cut. Hollywood has capitalized on the ethos of romantic love and Disney made billions on the “happily ever after.” The singles among us dream of falling in love with “the one” and those happily married reminisce with sweet
Couples often expect the first stage of romantic love to last a lifetime. Some of us succeed in keeping the flame alive forever. However, the initial euphoric infatuation will have to undergo adjustments to allow space for deeper familiarity and more authentic intimacy in the relationship—something that can often be
This is a constructive time in the relationship. Following the fusion of the honeymoon and the storm of the power struggle we emerge with a new awareness of who we are in our union. We are conscious of each other’s strengths and shortcomings. The differences between us highlight our separateness.
Couples reaching the 4th stage of love have been through a great adventure together. They have shared many ups and downs of life, weathered victories, and losses, built a family, and possibly, raised kids together. The middle age is knocking on the door. Many of the familiar roles become secondary.
It is said that only 5% of all couples ever get to this promised land of milk and honey. To reach the stage of mature love the couple had to successfully navigate the stages of conflict, individuation, self-actualization, and recommitment. Mature love is a grand accomplishment in the mastery of
Couples Therapy works. It’s a fact. The past decade in my Los Angeles private practice provided ample of proof the effectiveness of couples counseling. Many couples left my office after their last couples therapy session only to reach out a few months later to check in and describe the profound
About two decades ago, before my graduation and subsequent move to beautiful California, online I met a colleague, who became a friend, Rick. He was my senior by a few decades and has practiced psychotherapy for many decades. Toward the end of his clinical career, he enjoyed the back-and-forth email
As I mentioned in my earlier post, many many years ago, before my graduation and subsequent move to beautiful California, I met a colleague who would later become a significant influence in my formation as a psychologist, as a couples therapist, and as a gay man. We met online. His