Irina Zhuravleva

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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

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

One of the toughest realities to swallow when you’re in love with someone who consistently withdraws is this: the more you pursue them, the more...

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

All right — how much blame should the betrayed partner carry for an affair that occurred within a marriage? That’s an important question. Ultimately, remember...

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...

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...