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What do Protest Behaviors in Relationships Look Like?

If your partner is upset at you and you react, you might be right. You’ve got every right to be upset. However, imagine you’ve got a child. They fall off their bicycle and they scream bloody murder, and you run up to them and they say, “Kill all the bicycles. Bikes are evil. Kill the … Read more

How Childhood Wounds Affect Our Relationship with Our Partner

Childhood wounds affect your relationship in this way: Imagine you grew up being uber controlled. Your parents had a say in everything. You weren’t even allowed to have friends, so much so that your best friend was an AM radio. You were a latchkey kid, and you were essentially controlled in every aspect of your … Read more

Wait, I’m not Crazy?! Adults Who Grew Up in Dysfunctional Families

Adult woman sitting at a sunlit kitchen table with a coffee mug, reflecting on patterns from a dysfunctional family upbringing

If you spent your childhood walking on eggshells, managing a parent’s moods, or feeling like your family was fundamentally different from everyone else’s, the traits you developed to survive that environment didn’t disappear when you grew up. This article, written by David Lechnyr, LCSW and Certified Gottman Therapist, explains the most common patterns that develop in adults raised in chaotic or emotionally unsafe households, and why recognizing them is the first step toward change.

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The Power Paradox: Why Accepting Your Partner’s Influence Strengthens Your Relationship

Two partners sitting at a table leaning toward each other in engaged conversation, demonstrating accepting influence through attentive listening and open body language

What Is Accepting Influence in Relationships? Accepting influence means finding common ground with your partner and saying yes to their ideas, even when you only agree with part of what they’re saying. The Gottman Institute’s research reveals a counterintuitive truth: To hold genuine power in a relationship, you must be willing to share that power. … Read more