Love & Relationships

Heart Connection and Tantric Love Viewed Learning how to cultivate a more tender intimate connection with your beloved partner. Concrete ways to be present and open your heart.… Watch The Balance of Giving and Receiving Viewed Watch Communication with Loved Ones and Your Soul Viewed The ultimate in learning how to discover healing. Asking what is your most challenged emotional state, finding your underlying need, asking for… Watch Asking for Permission Viewed How to develop the real power of directly asking for what you need. This is much rarer than you might think. Inquiry:… Watch How Often Do You Ask for Permission Before Expressing Your Emotion? Viewed It is a rare level of development to be able to ask for permission from our loved ones before we share our… Watch Healing Qualities of Laughter Viewed This talk between two psychotherapists recognizing how humor can be the healing salve, the hidden awareness, or the subconscious insight that can… Watch Breakthrough: The Power of Asking for What You Need Viewed How to develop the real power of directly asking for what you need. This is much rarer than you might think. Inquiry:… Watch Asking to Share Viewed One of the most difficult and profound acts of love is to ask for permission before we share difficult emotions, and is… Watch Emotional Intelligence Viewed Take a few minutes to stay connected to your heart space. To see with clear vision what your deep wound / feeling… Watch Asking From Your Heart Viewed In love relationship gaining awareness of a challenging emotional state, learning how to find what you need underneath, and asking for it… Watch Beyond Reactivity in Love Relationships Viewed Next time you are about to react in a negative way to your loved one, stop for a moment. The key is… Watch

Confusion, Self-Compassion, and Introspective Questioning Viewed Listen

The Art of Setting Clear, Graceful Boundaries with Family and Friends This Holiday Season Viewed All over the world, we’re grappling with family and friendship dilemmas. In America alone, these challenging situations are probably more complex than… Read 9 min read Hearing needs as demands — the healing potential of this realization Viewed One of the cornerstone distortions in love relationships, friendships and all other kinds of relationships is inaccurately seeing “the other’s” expression of… Read 7 min read The Unintended Consequences of Mislabeling Our Thoughts and Emotions Viewed One of the greatest contributions we can make in our lives (to both the world and to ourselves) is to stay dedicated… Read 12 min read How To Express What You Need Instead Of What You Don’t Like Viewed One of the foundational ways we disconnect from those we are intimate with or just those in our world is the tendency… Read 7 min read How Overcoming Our Excessive Need for Private Awareness Can Help Us Take Care of Ourselves  Viewed Take a look at what you know about yourself emotionally. Especially the things that you don’t share with others or at least… Read 8 min read How to Gracefully Ask For Help in Times of Need Viewed Almost half the people I’ve met in my life, whether as a therapist, family, or friend, have great difficulty asking for help.… Read 6 min read When Our Greatest Strength is Also Our Greatest Weakness Viewed Most of us have an area of our life that we give a dominant part of our energy where we might be… Read 12 min read How to move from exaggerated feelings into true intimacy Viewed Across 50 years of being a psychotherapist and in my personal life, I’ve found there is a very human pattern that robs… Read 11 min read The Power of Openness, Vulnerability, and Trust Viewed What’s normal in love today? When we’re young teenagers or in our early twenties, love often feels beautifully simple. It’s easy to… Read 8 min read The Mislabeling Trap: How Misunderstanding Our Emotions Sabotages Relationships Viewed Have You Ever Been Misunderstood — Even When You Thought You Were Clear? Here’s why clarity about our inner state is the… Read 4 min read Beneath the Surface: The Real Emotions That Drive Conflict Viewed What If You’re Expressing Something You Don’t Know You’re Feeling? This is how to move from confusion to connection by identifying hidden… Read 5 min read Staying Present with Suffering Viewed One of the great misunderstandings about presence is this: “To be present, I must fully focus on my pain.” For many spiritually… Read 7 min read Breaking the Chains of Fear and Low Self-Esteem Viewed Low self-esteem, particularly in the context of career and success, can significantly limit an individual’s potential. For those suffering from a fear… Read 6 min read Introduction Viewed In this section, we'll take an honest look at where the loves in our lives have thrived and where significant limitations may… Read 1 min read The Path of Presence: Continuous Return, Not Final Arrival Viewed Why presence is never achieved once—but rediscovered moment by moment Presence is often spoken about as if it’s a destination—something to finally… Read 3 min read Intentions to Set & Prayers for Your Love Relationships Viewed May I recognize that you, my partner, are my first choice in helping me open my heart and soul. When I feel… Read 2 min read Presence as a Balancer: Noticing What You Miss Viewed How your senses, personality, and spiritual habits shape what you ignore—and how to return to wholeness Presence isn’t just about being still… Read 4 min read Presence in Couples: The Courage to Stay Open Viewed Presence in a relationship is not just about being there physically. It’s about meeting your partner in real time, rather than reacting… Read 6 min read What If Some of Our Important Needs Don’t Match? Viewed How to navigate emotional and relational differences without losing essential connection or self-respect. It’s a beautiful illusion: we meet someone, fall in… Read 4 min read Uncovering Mental Fog: Emotional Distortion and the Practice of Clarity Viewed How mislabeling our emotional state clouds perception—and how to clear the lens. We all want to believe we understand ourselves. That we… Read 4 min read How to Navigate Love and Relationships with Heartfelt & Open Communication: Real-Life Experiences Viewed In every relationship, understanding and emotional connection are often challenged by unspoken frustrations and unmet needs. Through the stories of two couples,… Read 8 min read The Liberation of Seeing Things as They Are Viewed How honest perception sets us free and deepens emotional intimacy Why Do We Struggle to See Ourselves Clearly? We want to believe… Read 3 min read Presence and the Personality: Balancing What You Overlook Viewed How your personality shapes what you see—and how presence reveals the rest Each of us lives inside a personality pattern—a set of… Read 3 min read Building Stronger Connections: How to Deepen Intimacy in Your Love Relationships Viewed There are countless keys to successful love relationships, but in my years of experience as a psychotherapist and from my own personal… Read 7 min read The Gift of Aliveness: Discovering Presence in Everyday Life Viewed How paying attention to your tone, senses, and inner state can reconnect you with what matters most Presence is one of the… Read 4 min read Cultivating Intimacy Through Presence Viewed The subtle art of being here with yourself, others, and life Presence isn’t only a solitary state—it’s a gateway to intimacy. When… Read 3 min read Guilt and Innocence: Healing Emotional Imbalances Through Clear Seeing Viewed Why Do Some Innocent People Feel Guilty—and Some Guilty People Feel Innocent? Have you ever known someone who seems genuinely kind but… Read 3 min read Loving Honestly Without Losing Yourself Viewed Read 1 min read The Five-Step Process for Nurturing Relationships Viewed Building a harmonious and loving relationship begins with a focus on both individual growth and the connection you share as a couple.… Read 4 min read What’s the Danger of Hearing Perceptions as Judgments? Viewed One of the most unrecognized patterns by the general population, and even unwittingly by most therapists, that causes suffering, especially in love… Read 8 min read Wanting vs. Needing: How Mislabeling Daily Choices Drains Our Energy Viewed How often do you say, “I don’t want to do this”— when it’s actually what you need? here’s why reframing necessary actions… Read 3 min read For Meditators: The Paradox of Expanding Presence Viewed Meditators often talk about presence as the ultimate goal—the still point beneath thought, the silent awareness beyond emotion. But for those who’ve… Read 3 min read Navigating a Balance Between Asking For and Giving Care in Relationships Viewed Are you more of a giver or a receiver in your relationships? Robert Strock explores the implications of veering towards either end… Read 6 min read