What happens when you want something or someone very badly but something keeps getting in the way? Think about the times you feel sad or hurt for much longer than you expected. A big goal didn’t happen. Or maybe you can’t do something you really like, whether that’s doing an activity or going…
Why do I still feel anxious even after my partner reassures me? Because not all reassurance is built the same way, and your body can tell the difference even when your mind can’t explain it. When someone reassures you, part of you checks three things without asking permission first: did they…
What does a high-trust relationship actually look like? It mostly looks normal. One person might forget to text back, or the other might get annoyed by the room temperature, but a few minutes later, you are both talking about what to eat for dinner. Neither person spends the whole night worrying…
A few weeks ago, I joined Mark Azoulay on the Men’s Online Therapy Podcast to talk about something that has become central to both my work and my life: Latalescence. If the word is new to you, it’s because I recently coined it. Think of it as “late adolescence.” But unlike adolescence, which…
As a couples counselor in Atlanta, I often talk with my clients about the importance of spending quality time together to maintain and strengthen their relationship. Whether you’re in a long-term partnership or just starting out, creating meaningful experiences together can help deepen your…
Understanding our emotions and how they work can often feel like a puzzle. Affect Theory, a concept developed by psychologist Silvan Tomkins, offers a fascinating framework for unraveling this puzzle. This theory explains how our basic affects—simple, automatic responses to stimuli—combine to…
