Empathy Deficit: Measurable Markers in a Conversation
As a CBT psychotherapist and founder of Psychologie et Serenite, I meet people every day struggling with complex relationships.
Read article →Blog — Relationship Psychology
Articles on relationship psychology, communication patterns, and conversation analysis.
Ctrl+K
The Grandiose Narcissist: Superiority Markers in Text Messages
As a CBT psychotherapist, I regularly meet people exhausted by relationships where they feel constantly devalued, invisible, or manipulated.
Read article →The Vulnerable Narcissist: Constant Complaining in Messages
As a CBT psychotherapist, I witness the complex dynamics at play within couples every day.
Read article →Narcissistic Rage: The Escalation That Written Conversation Freezes
Narcissistic rage often evokes spectacular outbursts. Yet in a relationship, written messages reveal its slow, destructive escalation with unmistakable precision.
Read article →Narcissistic Collapse: What Messages Reveal When the Mask Falls
Love bombing, gaslighting, blame, victimhood, punishing silence: what written conversations reveal about narcissistic collapse, message by message.
Read article →Caspering: The Polite Fake Ghosting That Lulls Suspicion
Discover caspering, a subtle form of relationship avoidance masked by politeness. Learn to recognize this manipulative pattern and protect your emotional well-being.
Read article →Text Avoidance: When Unanswered Messages Speak Volumes for Couples
As a CBT therapist, I help couples navigate communication challenges. Learn how text avoidance reveals deeper relationship issues.
Read article →How ScanMyLove Works: A Guided Tour of the Tool
Prepare a conversation, understand how the steps depend on your files, compare reports and review the findings: a practical guide to ScanMyLove before paying.
Read article →Effort Asymmetry: What Unequal Message Length Reveals About Investment
As a CBT psychotherapist, I often observe complex relational dynamics. Unequal message length reveals true investment.
Read article →Retroactive Jealousy: Endless Past Questions in Your Digital Chats
CBT psychotherapist Gildas Garrec explores retroactive jealousy, an insidious pattern where a partner's past is endlessly questioned in digital messages.
Read article →Slow Fade: Progressive Message Withdrawal Before Disappearance
Understand slow fade—the insidious relationship pattern of gradual communication withdrawal. Explore signs, psychological impact, and recovery strategies.
Read article →Negging: The Poisoned Compliment That Undermines
Negging is subtle manipulation disguised as compliments. Learn to recognize this toxic pattern in your messages and protect your self-esteem.
Read article →Cushioning in Messages: The Backup Plan That Shows
Cushioning is an insidious relational practice revealing emotional infidelity through written messages. Learn to identify patterns and understand the psychology.
Read article →Benching: Recognizing When You're Kept on the Sidelines
Benching is modern romantic uncertainty where someone keeps you in limbo—neither fully with you nor without you. Learn to recognize the patterns.
Read article →Breadcrumbing: The Attention Crumbs Keeping You Hooked
A message just when you're about to let go, then silence again. Breadcrumbing distributes crumbs of attention whose logic only reveals itself in conversation timing.
Read article →Rekindle the Flame: Restoring Desire in a Long-Term Couple
Learn how to rekindle desire in your long-term relationship. A CBT practitioner guides you with concrete strategies to bring passion back.
Read article →When Love Turns to Obsession: Signs and CBT Solutions
Discover the subtle signs that turn love into obsession. A practical guide by a CBT psychopractitioner to regain a healthy, fulfilling balance in your relationship.
Read article →Anxious attachment and ghosting: why silence hurts so much, read in your texts
For an anxiously attached person, ghosting is not just silence: it is the activation of a deep fear of abandonment. Bringing the two together sheds light on the pain read in your texts.
Read article →Avoidant Attachment and Stonewalling: The Withdrawal That Writes Itself in Silence
When avoidant attachment meets Gottman's stonewalling, silence becomes a defense. Crossing the two explains the withdrawal the messages let us see.
Read article →Avoidant attachment and stonewalling: the withdrawal that writes itself in silence
When avoidant attachment meets Gottman's stonewalling, silence becomes a mode of defense. Crossing the two explains the withdrawal that messages let us see.
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
⚖️
Our methodology: 14 validated clinical models →
Explore the models of Gottman, Young, Bowlby, Beck, Sternberg and 9 others automatically applied to your conversations.
Analyze your conversation
Experiencing a situation described in our articles? Get an objective analysis of your conversation.
Analyze my conversation