Fear of intimacy is one of the most common reasons people come to therapy, but it rarely announces itself that way. Most people do not walk in and say, "I am afraid of closeness." They say, "I keep choosing the wrong person." Or, "Every time a relationship gets serious, somehow it doesn’t work out." Or, "I’ve never been in a long-term relationship. I want to, but I don’t know why it doesn’t happen for me."
Read MoreUnprocessed trauma does not stay neatly in the past. It shapes how we lead, how we communicate, and how we relate to the people around us. In my work with high achievers in San Francisco and throughout California, I see certain patterns again and again.
Read MoreMuch of the suffering that brings people to therapy is due to relational stress. Difficulty trusting. Fear of vulnerability. Patterns of pursuing or withdrawing. A deep loneliness even when surrounded by people we love. If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone. We all unknowingly carry the imprint of our earliest relationships into our adult life, and that imprint has a name: our attachment style.
Read MoreSomatic therapy is the practice of working with the body's felt experience as a pathway to healing. It rests on a simple but profound recognition: our bodies carry the imprint of everything we have lived through, especially the experiences that were too much, too fast, or too soon to be processed at the time.
Read MoreHave you ever taken the time to really listen to how you talk to yourself? Are you kind and thoughtful, or more often do you find yourself nitpicking and pejorative?
Read MoreWhat has been your experience of the job search and interview process? For some of us this process is difficult and can elicit feelings of anxiety, rejection, and a sense of visceral discomfort or unsafety.
Read MoreMany of my psychotherapy clients are grappling with the highs and lows of finding intimacy through online dating. Many dive in hoping for the best, and after a few months resurface exhausted, depleted, and frustrated with their experience.
Read MoreCodependency is a term often used to describe dynamics in romantic and familial relationships. What is less discussed is how codependent relating patterns can show up in professional relationships.
Read More