When Trust is Not Enough

Trust It’s one of those sacred words in relationship lingo that automatically projects an aura of goodness and wholesomeness. Conversely, “mistrust” seems to reek of evil and pathology. If you ever want to evoke visceral and mindless reaction from someone, just ask “Don’t you trust me?” Most people will reflexively and thoughtlessly reassure you that…

Letting Go of Harmful Relationships

Set and keep firm limits First of all, let’s dispense with the notion of immediate “friendship.” If you’ve been struggling with a destructive relationship, then you’re going to need more distance than that. Friendship is possible when both parties have fairly good emotional boundaries around what’s private and not common ground. Coming from a destructive…

The Art of Negotiating For Space

“I need some space!” is a familiar expression to most of us, either from the giving or receiving end. I suspect that more women have heard this expression from men than vice-versa. This is probably because more men adopt the evader role in the pursuer-evader dance of boundary-troubled relationships. “Space” is the word that many…

Wise Mistakes

For a good while For a good while, I’ve had to talk to numerous people about how to let go of harmful relationships. Getting out of harmful relationships has been a very hot topic in the press for several years. The topic seems relevant to the needs of many. However, there is a danger to…

Rethinking Intimacy

Intimacy The holy grail of relationships. At least it seems that way for those of us who have searched long and hard for the “right person.” I wonder how many of us really have gotten a clear picture of what we’re looking for. Where would we have gotten such a picture? From the cinema, from…

Misguided Hope

Love is the most powerful force force in the universe. Most of us actually believe that, if love is strong enough, it will create a healthy relationship in addition to changing the course of rivers and moving mountains. Forgive my indulgence in cynicism but the parallel is appropriate. For some relationships, a favorable outcome is…

All in the Name of Honesty

How many times has each of us received an emotional wound followed by the justification, “I’m only being honest!” “Honesty” is like other sacrosanct words like “love”, “unselfish”, and “caring” that have the ability to put people’s forebrains to sleep. The mere utterance of the word has the ability to rationalize many behaviors that would…