Neil Rosenthal's Blog, page 17

When Your Grown Child Rejects You

Dear Neil: My daughter does’t want contact with me. She will not call, and she won’t respond to my attempts at communicating. Is there any way of redeeming this relationship? Rejected By My Grown Child Dear Rejected: Here are some […]

Quiz: Are You Depressed?

Are you depressed? Depression does not necessarily mean you’re just sad. You might be more numb—not feeling much of anything—than sad. But some people are in deed sad, withdrawn from others as well as from themselves, and withdrawn from most […]

How Could I Be Happier?

Our happiness is affected by a variety of temporary feelings and circumstances. If you run out of gas and are late to work, if your boss gives you a big raise, if your spouse goes to bed angry with you, […]

Why Am I Attracted to Withdrawn Men?

The Allure of “Unpredictable Love” Of the thousands of letters and emails I get from readers around the world asking for relationship advice, the most frequent center around someone in a relationship pushing away or running hot and cold. Here […]

When One Person Withdraws From a Relationship

Has this happened to you? Two people fall in love with each other. But then one person runs away, pushes the other person away, escalates with anger or personal attacks, or withdraws. The person who has not withdrawn becomes enormously […]

Quiz: Are You a White Knight?

You remember the tales, don’t you? About the knight in white armor rescuing the damsel in distress and carrying her off into the sunset. Are you a male (or a female) white knight? That is, do you have a pattern […]

Married, But No Longer in an Intimate Relationship

Dear Neil: Some people decide to not have sex with their spouse. So why do these same people get upset when their husband or wife has sex with someone else? Not Sure I Understand Dear Not Sure: Some people have […]

Quiz: Are You Dating a Liar?

Many of us have been lied to by someone we love and trust. Although there are differences in lies—some people exaggerate the truth, other people leave important information out, still other people rationalize or excuse their own misrepresentations—the end result […]

The Fear of Being Close is Actually a Fear of Being Rejected

Dear Neil: In my current five-year relationship, my lady has run away and come back to me numerous times, and she has had an affair on me as well. Sometimes when she runs away, I hear nothing for a few […]

Quiz: Are You a Good Listener?

By far the most common complaint marriage counselors hear is the statement: “We can’t communicate.” There are many reasons why communication stops or becomes superficial and brittle, including poor conflict resolution, problem solving, compromising and negotiating skills; withholding information; keeping […]