Ирина Журавлева

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?...

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....

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....

I think we waste too much energy trying to label our partner as a narcissist instead of simply acknowledging that certain behaviors are unacceptable. Ultimately,...

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...

Our romantic partners are not our dependents, so it becomes problematic when we end up managing everything for them while they fail to contribute their...

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.,...

I can say with absolute confidence: saying “I love you” alone won’t preserve a relationship. Love by itself is insufficient — intimacy demands far more...

Make no mistake. This isn’t a tale about a broken heart — it’s a judgment on poor choices, a meticulous bill itemizing every cost of...

Some people act difficult because they carry pain; others behave that way because inflicting pain gives them a sense of power. In both cases, if...

Healthy relationships always require the active participation of two people; there’s simply no shortcut. Intimacy, trust and emotional safety emerge when both partners contribute —...

Alright — as you probably know, Father’s Day is this Sunday, and I wanted to offer some thoughts on ways you might show your partner...

If you want to move from “getting by” to genuinely great intimacy, it helps to understand the four broad kinds people often talk about: physical...

Have you ever wondered why the person who walked away from you can’t actually let you go? Even when they’re with someone new, even while...

Men — please don’t let your relationship fall apart the way mine did. I’m sharing this as a warning: by the time you finally say...

Think about it — the same things we did to win her over are exactly the things we need to keep doing to maintain her...

The single thing that terrifies a toxic person more than almost anything else is when you draw firm boundaries — because boundaries remove their power....

You cannot keep playing the avoidance game forever. Time evens everything out. The wall you assembled around your heart, brick by brick, telling yourself it...

I’ll always remember the moment I learned there was an actual label for the confusing feelings, odd actions, and repeated mistakes that had shadowed me...

Think of these two leaves as a picture of your relationship. I plucked them from the same flourishing plant—one received sunlight, water and good soil;...

There comes a point when words begin to lose their power. You have spoken everything that could be said, named every feeling, justified every silence,...

Listen — I don’t know which one of you needs to hear this, but it drains you when only one person seems to care about...

Okay — a straightforward question: how do I talk to my partner without them feeling attacked or shutting down? How can I bring up something...

Okay, we’re live — hello everyone, and thanks for being here. It’s me, the Crappy Childhood Fairy, and Rob has been collecting your questions for...