In today’s episode, I’m joined by Helen Mia Harris, and we discuss the love addiction phenomenon. This complex and pervasive problem can lead to an overwhelming love withdrawal experience, lovesickness, depression, and anxiety.

She talks about her experience with love addiction, why love addiction is based on personal trauma, and why she has dedicated her life to helping others who experience this phenomenon.

Helen explains that the person who has the anxious attachment issue often has a propensity towards love addiction. She also talks about the difference between the need for love for a love addict in a relationship and the desire for infatuation.

Listen in to learn why people use an external source to validate themselves as individuals, how a love addict finds a need to survive within the relationship, and the signs of love addiction.

(Please listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript to hear explanations, stories, and examples.)

Bio:

Helen Mia Harris is the creator of the Love Addiction, Codependency, and Heartbreak Recovery Programme. Several years ago, Helen experienced first-hand this affliction of the heart, when we love too much and experienced the grief-like symptoms of unrequited love, loss, and emotional trauma which inspired her to create the programme. Love addiction is a phenomenon that is recognised as a pervasive and complex problem. This can lead to an overwhelming experience of love withdrawal, lovesickness, depression, and anxiety.

In this episode, Helen Mia Harris and Dr. Jessica Higgins discuss:

How love and drugs are a panacea against emptiness
The link between emotional trauma and love addiction
The effects of filling a void in your life with a relationship
How emotional attachment bonds work when relationship equilibrium is unbalanced
Why intermittent attention reinforcement is stronger than other types of reinforcement
Crushes or infatuation do not equate to love addiction
The signs of love addiction
When the pain of the love addict gets activated
Limerence as a feature of love addiction