at some point in our lives, we may believe that love should be like the kind of romance we see portrayed in films, television, and novels. at times, i bought into the belief that if i had a relationship with the perfect prince, then all would be well in my life. at some point i grew up and learned to let go of the crazy metaphor of romantic love in order to find true happiness. sometimes, they have to die …

“when i first met my husband, he was different and didn’t consider nonsexual physical touch or physical affection a necessity.” the problem plagued her dating history. “mismatched needs for affection and touch are common in relationships,” said mr. jacobs, the therapist. the couple has navigated divergent levels of affection for the duration of their relationship, with mr. lee needing more affection and ms. lee wanting less.

it is important that both partners meet in the middle and constantly adjust to …

learn how to develop intimacy, intimate relationships, with others. intimacy is a process – not a thing. in fact, any kind of stagnation in a relationship kills intimacy. one form of intimacy is cognitive or intellectual intimacy where two people exchange thoughts, share ideas and enjoy similarities and differences between their opinions. a second form of intimacy is experiential intimacy or intimacy activity. they may be shocked to think that they were engaged in an intimate activity with each other, …

the idea that you can fake a sexual response is often parodied in film and tv. if you are high on the communication dimension, you can talk openly and honestly with a partner. finally, being high on closeness and commitment means that you feel that you and your partner are psychologically on the same page, want to stay together, but find it hard to talk to each other at more than a superficial level. it gets even more complex when …

there are many temptations to organize our life around the experience of earlier trauma. it is not enough simply to know the faces or the names of your neighbors, baristas, or colleagues. most of us must believe that we must matter to others in order to truly matter to ourselves. eudaimonia is the term used to describe what results when you create a state of healthy happiness and fulfillment in your life. we must engage actively in the world around …