Our brains are wired to perceive key moments in our relationships as crucial for survival, coding them as ‘life or death’ or ‘safety versus danger.’ When our brains register danger, we can become trapped in predictable, negative patterns in relationships. Understanding these patterns is the first step towards building stronger, more fulfilling relationships.

Crave deeper connection? Discover the science & spirituality of finding true synchrony with your partner, even in tough times. Practical tips inside!

When envisioning the birth of a child, most people imagine an arrival so simple, so quick, and relatively painless just like something you might see in a tv show or the movies. But what happens when pregnancy and birth are nothing like what we see on the screen?

From infancy, the bonds we develop with our parents or primary caregivers create a blueprint for how we engage in romantic, platonic, and professional relationships later in life. These attachment styles form based on the consistency, responsiveness, and emotional availability of our caregivers.

We can often be afraid to express anger to God, but the danger is that the emotion remains stuck inside us, and then we are alone with these difficult emotions, leading to more distress. This dilemma begs the question, what do you do when you’re angry with God?

Politics. It's the topic that can ignite passion, spark debate, and, unfortunately, sometimes tear relationships apart. Are political arguments straining your marriage? Learn how Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) can help you resolve conflict, improve communication, and strengthen your relationship.

When marital distress reaches a critical point, many couples can feel lost, scared, burned out, defeated, or like their relationship is on the brink of dissolution. It can seem like we’ve run out of options on finding a way forward. That’s where Intensive Couples Therapy comes in.

Imagine a beautiful dance between your emotions, your view of yourself, and the way you interact with others. Maybe the beat of the drums changed but the steps no longer match. The rhythm is off. You are getting stuck, and you want to get back in step.

Anxiety is a normal bodily experience, defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. God created our bodies to get anxious to improve our chances of survival, and while anxiety is helpful, it can be overwhelming.

Sex can be an awkward topic, even in couples therapy. This awkwardness stems from what we learned about it in our family culture, the lack of sex being a common subject to process with our community, and ways we might feel inadequate to the images of sex we grew up with, such as…

Grief, one of life’s greatest tragedies, is a universal experience that touches us all. It brings immeasurable emotions that are so profoundly difficult to define but yet felt so deeply.

The role of prayer in healing is both profound and deeply personal. As a marriage and family therapist, I view prayer not as a replacement for therapy, but as a complementary tool that can enhance the healing process.

Couples therapy is often seen as a “last resort” for relationships in serious distress or couples on the brink of separation. This assumption may even deter you from getting help when it could be most beneficial for your relationship.

While anger can have a scary side, it isn’t built into our bodies to hurt others. It’s a powerful emotion fashioned by millions of years of evolution.

Attachment styles play an extremely important role throughout our lives. As children, we form certain attachments to our primary caregivers.

Anyone who says they have a "perfect" relationship, where disagreements never happen, are definitely living in a fantasy. Conflict is a normal, inevitable part of any healthy relationship.

Marriage, as a Christian, is often described as a sacred unification reflecting the relationship between Christ and the Church. It is a bond based on love, commitment, and mutual respect.

Grief is a natural and deeply personal response to loss, whether that's death of a loved one, the end of a significant relationship, or any other life changing event.

We know that trauma is complex and long-lasting, leaving emotional scars that feel impossible to heal. Whether these experiences stem from childhood, relationships, or natural disasters, the impacts can negatively affect mental and physical well-being.

Communicating is an absolute necessity in relationships. It's healthy to have complex, and maybe even controversial conversations with your partner. This does not mean it is easy to have those types of conversations.