I’ve blogged about narcissists before, but just to get us all on the same page, the Mayo Clinic research group defines narcissistic personality disorder as “a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.” In …
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Trauma can occur in many different forms. For children, the things that create trauma may not be the same as what creates trauma in adults, but there will be areas where there are significant similarities. In my new book “The Marriage and Relationship Junkie” , the role of trauma in love addiction are explored and …
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In a new book “The Marriage and Relationship Junkie,” I explores the various complexities of relationship addiction. As a guideline to a working definition and a greater understanding, keep in mind that any type of addiction is something that causes a negative occurrence in the individual’s life. The Damage of Addiction Just like being addicted …
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The expanding body of research into brain-based responses to different types of stimuli has provided greater insight into how humans become addicted. In fact, there is actually a pleasure center in the brain, which is the nucleus accumbens. This is part of the brain that responds to specific triggers, including romance and sexual desire, …
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Codependency is one of those words that is thrown around so often and in so many contexts these days that it seems to mean everything and nothing at all. We know codependent relationships are dysfunctional, but it seems that “codependent” has now become a synonym for “unhealthy relationship.” There are lots of kinds of unhealthy …
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Breaking up for some people is like withdrawing from drugs. Withdrawal from love is one of the most painful withdrawals because there is a unique connection between the person affected and his or her need for love as a child. During withdrawal people psychologically go back in time and feel all the losses they felt …
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You can’t watch anything on TV these days without seeing an ad for a dating app. The selling point for most of them seems to be that they’re more scientific about making a match or the people who use them are more serious about dating—all leading to some version of, “We’ll make sure you get …
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We all tend to pick partners who reflect the vision we have of ourselves and our world. Unfortunately, that means marriage junkies end up being attracted to partners who remind them of their dysfunctional family relationships, where they never got what they needed. It’s ironic, in a way, because while they’re searching for someone to …
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When you’re in the grip of a marriage addiction, it seems as if you can never pick the right partner. You keep ending up with someone who’s emotionally unavailable, who’s super needy or manipulative or just downright abusive. Or someone who dumps you. It’s never the right one. Is it you, or do you just …
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