Relationship Issues
Relational approach to relational difficulties within the self and with others
Love is The Leaven
Because "love is the leaven" of early development, we suggest that love is also the leaven for deep healing...in psychotherapy. Whether or not the strongly emotional experience of love is ever explicitly acknowledged, when therapists and patients internally and nonverbally express their love for one another, this serves to widen perceptual doors, expand tolerance of negative and positive emotions, permit more vulnerability to explore novelty and engage in playful interactions, and mutually amplify safety and trust on both sides of the therapeutic alliance.
- Alan N. Schore
It is through our relationships with others
It is through our relationships with others that we often come face to face with our own vulnerabilities and growing edges. When we bump up against a challenge in a relationship with a spouse, child, or friend it is usually an invitation to examine some of the patterns and habits we have developed and taken for granted for most of our lives. These patterns and assumptions have been developed in response to important others and have kept us safe and protected. However, it is often the case that the same strategies that have kept us safe then, can also cause difficulties now. We bring awareness and encourage flexibility in how we chose to meet those challenges and our loved ones.
Another typical relational issue that tends to surface is our internal relationship with ourselves. We often conduct internal dialogues that can be harsh, critical, or even abusive. It is those inner relationships that often push people toward addiction and other harmful behaviors in an attempt to get away from themselves. With consciousness and intention we work to transform these internal relationships to offer more acceptance and compassion toward oneself.