Irina Zhuravleva

A major challenge for people raised in homes marked by abuse and neglect — and this will resonate for many — is that mean, dismissive...

Would you be prepared to pose this question to your partner: when was the last time you felt lonely in this relationship? From what I...

One of the most corrosive aftereffects of enduring abuse is how it warps your inner life. Your emotions go offline. You feel disconnected. It becomes...

What I’m teaching men is how to show up as themselves — genuine, transparent, truthful, willing to be vulnerable — and to practice that honesty...

There is a peculiar hush that settles over you when someone you once felt deeply connected to vanishes without warning. You stop waiting for their...

Want to know why people sometimes recoil from you, tune out what you say, or get irritated before you even speak? It’s not because there’s...

Maybe people labeled you as needy when what actually happened was you were left alone too many times. Maybe you were told to quiet down...

Oh my god — nothing I do is ever enough. Wait, what did you just say? I said it doesn’t matter what I try; it’s...

Here are practical steps and additional information to help you recognize, respond to, and move away from emotionally abusive dynamics while protecting your well‑being. Validate...

Have you noticed that in most relationships one person tends to be the more self-reliant partner? If you’re unsure which side that is in your...

It wasn’t physical violence. It was quiet. It manifested as hushed comments, the sudden hush when you enter a room, forced smiles, realizing you’ve been...

The single most potent way to create genuinely meaningful connections with others is to make them feel heard. People crave that — and doing it...

One of the surest ways to slowly destroy a relationship is chronic people-pleasing. Not everyone naturally becomes a people pleaser — it often grows out...

Okay, this is a little bit of a rant, but whenever I try to offer relationship guidance — even when I start by saying that...

Being raised amid abuse and neglect nearly always saps a person of their natural strength. You begin to doubt your worth, lose faith in your...

Today I want to tackle a difficult question: should you change for your partner? The short answer is no — don’t alter who you are...

This is not merely a relationship with routine highs and lows. What you’re caught in is a deliberate psychological scheme. The avoidant person in your...

Have you ever paused to ask yourself whether you might be a narcissist, or at least exhibit narcissistic behaviors sometimes? If you grew up abused...

Today we’re going to explore the difference between healthy needs and unhealthy needs in intimate relationships. Underneath most arguments lie unmet wants and fears that...

Okay, picture this: many of us either already have children or hope to have them someday. Now ask yourself—would it sit right with you if,...

An avoidant attachment shows up in more than just behavior — it’s embedded in the way someone speaks, the cadence of their voice, and their...

Your sense of who you are — and therefore what you can imagine for your future — is woven from the narratives you repeat to...

One consequence of past trauma is that it can shape behaviors—often around sex and money—that society judges harshly. Those actions can create stigma that follows...

Listen: if you find yourself tempted to cheat on your spouse, you owe it to everyone involved to speak up — even if it feels...