Irina Zhuravleva

One night I was called into the hospital and found a man suffering a massive heart attack. We fought to save him for a long...

You’re having an ordinary conversation and someone drops a small comment — “don’t be so sensitive,” “you’re overreacting,” or the one that lands like a...

Growing up with trauma affects each person differently, yet the patterns of symptoms that can surface later in life are strikingly similar for many of...

About 30% of couples — whether dating or married — report experiencing some form of infidelity, and that number only reflects what’s been disclosed. After...

There’s a pattern that comes from trauma where people move through life without ever truly committing to anything long-term — relationships, careers, communities, even the...

Today my aim is to transform how you handle conflict in your close relationships. We’re not talking about “punching” fights away — rather, we’re going...

Among the warning signs I’ve learned to spot, one in particular always makes my alarm bells ring: when an adult claims they never want to...

Nothing scrambles your mind or wounds you more than trying to maintain any kind of relationship with someone who behaves narcissistically — the gaslighting, the...

A few days ago a post explored how shutting down or stonewalling during an argument can leave a partner feeling unheard, isolated, and even abandoned,...

Even rats become obsessed when rewards and care are repeatedly mixed with cruelty and isolation, so it’s not surprising that people raised with trauma often...

My fear of being left in the future led me to abandon my own needs in the here and now. I constantly put everyone else...

If the word “space” keeps popping up in your relationships, this material is aimed at you. What people commonly lump together as avoidant attachment is...

Many men leave comments accusing me of hating men or trying to put men below women, and nothing could be further from the truth. I...

If you find yourself wondering, “Is this relationship worth salvaging?” it usually means you’re stuck in one of three painful scenarios. First, you may be...

They vanished without a word three months ago — no farewell, no explanation, just silence. Then, in the small hours last night, at 2:08 a.m.,...

The universe keeps a harsh equilibrium. Every deed invites a counterforce. Every ounce of emotional investment you give to someone can come with a cost....

Nobody can truly love you well if you haven’t become aware of the repeating patterns you keep slipping into. Consider this: have you ever been...

Have you ever watched an avoidant partner disappear the moment things start to deepen, only to reappear weeks or months later as if nothing happened?...

When an avoidant ex comes to the slow recognition that the most valuable thing they ever had was you, it doesn’t land like a thunderclap....

No, no — truly, it would be an honor; please, I insist. That’s incredibly kind of you, but I must press you again: no, I...

Why do avoidant partners act with contempt toward you? That question doesn’t just float through your mind — it lands hard in your chest because...

Growing up in an environment marked by emotional neglect or cruelty trains your nervous system to respond by withdrawing. You stop crying. You stop protesting....

Are there other people-pleasers out there who recognize this pattern — where you can’t bring up feeling alone or neglected on the good days because...

I’m about to say something that will make 99 percent of women furious — ready? Sometimes it’s acceptable for a man to say, “I’m sorry...