LOVELINK

Harville Hendrix Ph.D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt Ph.D. are the creators of Imago Relationship Therapy, a popular form of couples therapy centered around helping couples learn to dialogue with each other in ways that build safety and connection. In this interview, Harville and Helen talk about how they developed Imago and share how they were able to use the model to reconnect in their own marriage. They talk about how childhood influences who we chose to partner with, accepting and working with the differences that exist between individuals in a relationship, and how our brains change in secure love. They also explain and role-play the structured dialogue they have developed to help couples navigate difficult moments. After you listen to the interview, be sure to check out their new book, Doing Imago Relationship Therapy – In the Space Between, packed with practical relationship guidance grounded in the science of love.

The decision to go on psychiatric medication is not an easy one.  Worries about being overly dependent, experiencing negative side effects, and the stigma of medication prevent many people from considering an option that could be extremely beneficial. On the flip side, medical communities too often default to a quick fix and neglect other factors in a person's life that may be contributing to their depression and anxiety. Our interview with Dr. Sue Varma, psychiatrist and professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, helps to clarify some of these questions around psychiatric medication and provide a better understanding in order to make more informed decisions.

Mike Moran is a couples and sex therapist and educator specializing in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. He’s also our clinical supervisor and has helped us navigate many challenging cases, so we have firsthand knowledge of how clinically gifted and wise he is! In this interview, Mike talks to us about the unique experiences gay couples bring to therapy and what straight couples can learn from them. We talk about the impact of growing up in a homophobic culture, embracing sexual fluidity, and helping couples navigate the pain of infidelity. It’s an episode about gay couples, but it’s really a must-listen for straight people!

Finding a therapist can seem like an impossible task. Questions like, is therapy right for me? Where do I begin? Or how long will treatment last may be swarming around your head. In this discussion with each other, Signe and Simone break down what therapy is all about, the different treatment models, whether it's right for you, and how to find a therapist that's a good fit and to avoid the red flags! It's not an easy world to navigate and we're hoping that this episode makes finding a therapist a little bit smoother and more accessible. We could only cover so much in one episode, so feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments!

Dr. Marisa Cohen is a relationship scientist and dating coach who knows a lot about online dating from her personal and professional experience. In this interview Dr. Cohen talks about how online dating has changed the way people meet and connect and provides helpful, scientifically grounded advice about how to optimize your dating profile and dating experiences. We explored a lot of interesting and surprising facts! Among the many topics covered, we learned why Las Vegas is a great place for women to find love and why, for better or worse, your dating pool might be smaller than you think.

Dr. Rich Simon was a psychologist and editor of the award winning magazine, Psychotherapy Networker, a bi-monthly bible for therapists seeking the latest clinical wisdom. In this interview, Rich spoke with Signe (his daughter) and Simone about his long career watching the field of psychotherapy evolve and what he learned about healing. Rich suffered from bipolar disorder and the treatments he received over the past four years did not provide relief. He chose to end his pain on November 10, 2020, two weeks after this interview was recorded. Rich’s spirit, curiosity, and generosity touched the lives of countless people. He will be profoundly missed.

Dr. Tara Brach is a psychologist and meditation teacher who beautifully integrates western psychology with eastern practices into her teachings. Speaking with Dr. Brach is like a meditation unto itself. She calms the spirit and offers hope in a time that feels overwhelming and unpredictable. She talked to us about social activism through self-compassion work and walked us through her powerful tool for mindfulness and self love. A must listen to, now more than ever!

Men in our culture are socialized out of vulnerability, making it difficult to connect intimately with others and connect with emotions. In this interview (with two vulnerable men), psychologist Dr. David Gordon and Evryman co-founder and CEO Lucas Krump, address male competition, male friendship, how men protect themselves from emotional pain and its cost, and the power of opening up. This is recommended listening for any man who’s interested in therapy or curious about how to get in touch with his feelings.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a popular approach to psychotherapy created by our guest Dr. Richard Schwartz. He developed the model when treating eating disorders and realized that his clients would describe various parts within themselves that respond to one another in harmful ways. He discovered that when these different parts accept one another in order to work together harmoniously, a person can live a life with greater curiosity, connectedness, compassion, and calmness. This pod explores ways to develop more insight into how we relate to ourselves and a great intro to IFS for therapists!

Most of us have engaged in or been on the receiving end of playing hard to get, a strategy people have used throughout history to appear more desirable to a potential mate. In this down to earth and informative interview, clinical psychologist and dating researcher, Dr. Kirby Goldin, gives us some straight talk grounded in research about the function of playing hard to get, who plays hard to get, and its consequences. Kirby also shares personal stories and offers up some valuable advice on dating and cultivating authenticity. We could have spent hours talking to Kirby about relationships and highly recommend taking a listen.