Sex & Intimacy Is intimacy too much too ask for?

 
You can have intimacy with or without sex.
And, you can have sex with or without intimacy.
Sex with intimacy is

Married Bachelors, Married Bachelorettes

How might a person, married to someone they love and with whom they are happy, be unhappy being married? And how can they successfully

What if You Set a Limit and Your Child Ignores It?

Most of the time when kids feel understood, they're willing to do what you ask, even if they don't like it. That's why the secret to

Why Popular Dating Advice Is Keeping You Single ...and what works for finding love.

Our search for healthy love is one of the most defining missions of our lives. Yet sadly, much popular dating advice actually leads us away from the very love we

The Real Reason We Over-Think Relationships

Jordan (not his real name) sits across from me over coffee. We're talking about his new girlfriend, Serena.
Both middle-aged and divorced, they’ve been

“Date Someone Your Own Size”

Many people hold fast to the idea that opposites attract, but usually couples are more similar than dissimilar. There’s a wealth of evidence to suggest that couples match on intelligence, attitudes, and physical attributes such as

When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman…

They say that when you’re in love with a beautiful woman, you watch your friends. And by they, I mean Dr. Hook.
Dr. Hook (quelle surprise) was not a real doctor. He wasn’t even a real hook. But there’s no doubting he was a keen

My Son Is Sexually Attracted to Me

Dear Dr. G.,
My son is 11-years-old. He has been talking about sex a lot. Also I have noticed that he has erections a lot. He came to me confused because he was masturbating and said something came out. He also confessed that one time he was thinking about me while doing it. Tonight he said he wants to have sex with me. I

Can Life Be Lived With No Libido at All? No Sex Ever?

Quick, how many sexual orientations are there? Most people say three: heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual. But now a growing research literature suggests there’s a fourth, asexual, feeling no sexual attraction to

Wise Words........ 51 underused terms.

I’ve reviewed my last 60 Psychology Today articles to find words and phrases that I believe deserve wider use.
These terms may be particularly useful to people in a

What Is Unconditional Love?...... It's a very misunderstood concept and even more misunderstood in practice

There is no phrase so misinterpreted as "unconditional love."  People use it as an excuse to stay in bad relationships or to shame someone into staying in

How To Lie To Your Parents Parents....... intrude when teens look like their hiding things

Over the last twenty years, I've been studying why and when adolescents lie to their parents.  We've studied youth on four continents.  Some findings are

Why Do People Make Love at Night?........ Reasons range from practical to romantic.

 
Most people make love when they go to bed, which is usually at night

 (1). Sleeping with someone is

Dating: Whose Relationship Is It Anyway?............ Four tips for defining dating rules of engagement.

 
Simone has been dating Jake for several   months. Every time they get together it’s wonderful – he’s sensitive and open, the sex is

Helping College Students Manage Sleep Issues....... Healthy sleep habits give college students an edge

If you're a student heading to college this fall, it’s a good time to think about healthy sleep habits. Studies of college students show that they tend to sleep less than the 8 hours per night that most

Is Female Sexuality Flexible?........... You may be attracted to both men and women and not consider yourself "bi"

 
Kinsey, the famous sex researcher, argued that people aren't "straight" or "gay" but fall along a continuum. Recent science now supports that argument, especially for women.

Kinsey's extensive interviews found changes in sexual desires over time—rather than

Feeding Your Addiction................. Distinguishing between food and drug addiction

 
Research is beginning to uncover that the brain reward systems responsible for making drugs of abuse so addictive are the same pleasure systems that are activated by the foods we eat. While it’s easy to list differences between

A Letter to My Teenage Daughter About Sexual Assault........... My hopes and best advice as she goes back to school.

Dear Daughter,

Do you have a few minutes? I want to talk to you about sexual assault. I've also written your brother. I know you’ve been upset about incidents at your school and

How to Install Your "Emotional Reset Button" ................Here's a simple trick for rapid emotional recovery

Psychiatrist Eric Berne, the father of Transactional Analysis and author of the best seller Games People Play, often referred to the “afterburn” experience.
Afterburn  - according to Berne – is the period of time it takes

The Story Of One Sexually Abused Girl........ Childhood sexual abuse leaves an indelible mark on far too many adults.

Current Estimates Are That 20%, Or One In Five People Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse.
Angie:
Angie was sexually abused by her

Before You Give Up on Someone... Try This

 
Here she comes. The person who never listens. The person who can never seem to get it right. The person who has been driving you absolutely crazy. You’re at your wit’s end.
She might be a

When The Person You Love Doesn't Love You...... It Doesn't Matter, It Doesn't Matter, It Doesn't Matter!

It's hard but it happens.
And it hurts.
You love someone who may have loved you once upon a time.
Or
You love someone who

Why We Still Love If you could see the future, would you still take the leap?

When people bring a pet into their home, they do so knowing that it's probably going to end badly. By that I mean that pets don't have the same life span as humans,

Getting Out Of The Abusive Relationship

 
NOTE:  This entry covers all kinds of abusive relationships but before reading this for yourself or someone else,the most important thing to know when leaving a physically abusive relationship is

5 Things You Must Do To Change The Quality of Relationships

There is societal pressure to be partnered. When you are not, you often feel as if the entire world is wondering what is wrong with you. If your best friend gets

Like Water: Why We Attract Who We Attract

Carl Jung said that everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. People have twisted his words to mean that

Three steps to changing your life when a relationship ends

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.
Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Both before and

Is Texting or Sexting Cheating?

There is a fairly large distinction between fathering a child with another woman while married and flirting with a coworker in texts.  There is a fairly large

What Is Unconditional Love?

There is no phrase so misinterpreted as "unconditional love."  People use it as an excuse to stay in bad relationships or