The goal of therapy is to change our relationship towards anxiety, not to rid ourselves of it – Anxiety is part of the human experience, but it does not define us.
We can not be overly dependent or completely independent. Autonomy and secure dependence are two sides of the same coin—they are not dichotomies. We seek to be two whole beings choosing to be in a relationship; that is called interdependence.
As a couples therapist, I see so much frustration with my clients who think that their relationship should be ‘easier’ or ‘less painful’. One woman remarked, “We are both kind, well-educated, well-meaning individuals. Why is this so hard? It feels like we are playing...