Breakup-Reconciliation Cycles: Escaping the Addictive Loop
Some couples get trapped in painful, repetitive breakup-reconciliation cycles. Understand these addictive patterns and find strategies for lasting peace.
Read article →Blog — Relationship Psychology
Articles on relationship psychology, communication patterns, and conversation analysis.
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Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Becomes Destructive
As a CBT therapist, I see many clients exhausted by complex relationships, feeling they loved 'too much'. Toxic empathy, pushed to extremes, can become a prison.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Becomes Destructive
As a CBT practitioner, I help many facing complex relationships. They often feel they've loved 'too hard,' ending up exhausted, drained, or destroyed. Understand toxic empathy.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Becomes Destructive
As a CBT practitioner, I help many navigate complex relationships. Discover how toxic empathy, giving too much love, can lead to exhaustion and self-destruction.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Destroys You
As a CBT practitioner, I help many individuals facing complex relationships. Often, they feel they've given too much, leading to exhaustion and self-destruction.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Destroys You
As a CBT practitioner, I help many navigate complex relationships. Clients often feel they've given too much, leading to exhaustion. Toxic empathy, a vital human trait, can become a trap when extreme.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Destroys You
As a CBT therapist, I help many individuals navigate complex relationships. Often, they feel they've given too much, loved 'too hard', and end up exhausted and drained.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Harms You
As a CBT therapist, I help many navigate complex relationships. Often, clients feel they've given too much, loved 'too hard,' leading to exhaustion and harm.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Loving Your Partner Too Much Harms You
Discover toxic empathy: as a CBT therapist, I see many clients exhausted by complex relationships, feeling they've loved too much.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Over-Caring for Your Partner Becomes Destructive
As a CBT practitioner, I help many navigate complex relationships. Discover how toxic empathy, giving too much, can lead to exhaustion and self-destruction.
Read article →Toxic Empathy: When Over-Caring for Your Partner Becomes Destructive
As a CBT practitioner, I guide many individuals through complex relationships. Often, they feel they've given too much, loved 'too hard,' and are left exhausted.
Read article →Passive-Aggressive Control: When Your Partner Punishes with Indifference
In complex human relationships, insidious and destructive dynamics often exist. Passive-aggressive control is one such dynamic, difficult to pinpoint but deeply damaging.
Read article →Healing After Infidelity: Steps for Couples to Rebuild Trust and Bonds
Infidelity shatters relationships, eroding trust and leaving a trail of pain and anger. Reconciliation is not owed to anyone and cannot be guaranteed — here are the questions couples who choose to explore it tend to work through.
Read article →Sexual Taboos in Couples: How to Talk Without Hurting Each Other
Discover how to calmly address sexual taboos in your relationship. Practical advice from a CBT practitioner for successful intimate communication.
Read article →Express Your Needs Without Accusing: A Guide to Better Communication
Learn how to express your needs in your relationship without falling into accusation. CBT techniques and practical advice included.
Read article →How the Absent Father Wound Shows Up in Your Couple Messages: 11 Markers
The absent father wound, whether due to physical, emotional, or symbolic absence, profoundly shapes our attachment and communication patterns.
Read article →Anxious Attachment: The 14 Types of Desperate Messages Sent During a Breakup
During a breakup, anxious attachment manifests through desperate attempts to reconnect, reassure, or prevent abandonment. These messages reveal a deep fear of solitude.
Read article →Childhood Trauma: How It Shows Up in Your Couple Messages — 12 Markers
Childhood trauma, even old, never stays confined to the past; it often manifests subtly in our daily interactions, including in our text exchanges with our partner.
Read article →Emotional Dependence: 13 Patterns Visible in Your Daily Messages to Your Partner
Emotional dependence often manifests subtly, but our text exchanges with a partner reveal deep markers. These patterns, ranging from constant search for validation to fear of abandonment.
Read article →Gaslighting: 15 Typical Phrases to Recognize in Your Partner's Messages
Gaslighting is an insidious form of psychological manipulation where someone makes you doubt your perception, memory, and mental health. In written conversations, these tactics manifest through messages that distort reality.
Read article →Over 190 applied psychology articles
The Psychology and Serenity blog offers over 190 articles by Gildas Garrec, CBT practitioner in Nantes. Each article draws on validated psychological models (Gottman, Young, attachment theory, CBT) to offer practical insights.
Couple Communication — Gottman’s 4 horsemen, the 5:1 ratio, stonewalling, NVC
Attachment — Anxious, avoidant, disorganized styles, path to secure attachment
Emotional Dependency — 10 signs, self-assessment tests, CBT strategies
Ghosting & Dating — Ghosting, breadcrumbing, curving, orbiting, zombieing
Manipulation — Gaslighting, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, psychological violence
Infidelity — Understanding, forgiving, trauma bonding, rebuilding
Anxiety & Stress — Relationship anxiety, burnout, rumination, insomnia
Jealousy — Pathological jealousy, retroactive, social media
Breakup & Grief — The 7 stages, no contact, relationship PTSD
Couple & Cohabitation — Moving in, arguments, libido, mental load
Parenting — Parental alienation, co-parenting, blended families
Young Schemas — 18 early schemas, cognitive distortions
Dating Apps — Mental health impact, paradox of choice, dating fatigue
Mental Health — When to consult, online therapy, CBT vs EMDR
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Our methodology: 14 validated clinical models →
Explore the models of Gottman, Young, Bowlby, Beck, Sternberg and 9 others automatically applied to your conversations.
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