Codependency: Understanding IFS and Its Relationship to Codependency
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Codependency: Understanding IFS and Its Relationship to Codependency

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy offers a transformative lens for understanding emotional struggles like codependency. Rather than labeling behaviors as "problems," IFS views them as coping strategies developed by distinct sub-personalities—or "parts"—within the self. This compassionate, non-pathologizing model helps individuals uncover and heal the emotional wounds driving their behaviors, fostering true self-awareness and growth.

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Sex Therapy: Tips to Improve Your Sex Life
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Sex Therapy: Tips to Improve Your Sex Life

Improving your sex life isn’t just about performance—it’s about connection, communication, and care. Whether you’re navigating changes due to age, relationship shifts, or simply looking to reignite passion, enhancing your sexual well-being can significantly improve both emotional intimacy and physical satisfaction.

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Infidelity: Attachment Styles and Their Impact on Adult Relationships
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Infidelity: Attachment Styles and Their Impact on Adult Relationships

Have you ever found yourself repeating the same painful patterns in your romantic relationships, despite your best intentions? The answer may lie in your attachment style—the unconscious blueprint you developed in early childhood that shapes how you give and receive love in adulthood.

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Sexual Addiction: Six Common Signs of a Love Avoidant
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Sexual Addiction: Six Common Signs of a Love Avoidant

Navigating intimacy with a love avoidant partner can be confusing and emotionally exhausting. While they may appear charming and connected at first, love avoidants often struggle with emotional closeness, leading to distancing behaviors and relationship dissatisfaction. Understanding the signs of love avoidance can help you protect your emotional well-being and make informed choices in your relationships.

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Betrayal: Understanding the Depths of Betrayal Trauma
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Betrayal: Understanding the Depths of Betrayal Trauma

Betrayal trauma goes far beyond romantic infidelity. It strikes at the core of our emotional security and trust, often leaving deep psychological and physical scars. Whether experienced through a partner, parent, friend, or institution, betrayal trauma can shatter a person’s inner world, leading to profound and long-lasting effects. In this blog, we’ll explore the different types of betrayal trauma, its psychological and physical symptoms, and how healing begins.

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Trauma: A Heartbreak’s Echo - Can a Breakup Cause Trauma?
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Trauma: A Heartbreak’s Echo - Can a Breakup Cause Trauma?

Breakups are emotionally devastating, and for some, the aftermath lingers long after the relationship ends. But can the emotional turmoil of a breakup actually lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? While not every breakup results in clinical PTSD, the emotional distress can mimic many of the symptoms. Understanding this connection can be the first step toward healing.

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Couples: Attachment Styles and How They Affect Adult Relationships
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Couples: Attachment Styles and How They Affect Adult Relationships

Understanding attachment styles offers powerful insight into the way we experience intimacy, resolve conflict, and connect with others. Rooted in attachment theory developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, these patterns begin in childhood but profoundly influence adult romantic relationships. By exploring our attachment style, we gain the tools to develop more fulfilling, secure partnerships.

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EMDR: Understanding the Nervous System’s Role in Healing
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

EMDR: Understanding the Nervous System’s Role in Healing

Trauma healing is not just a psychological journey—it is also deeply physiological. One of the most powerful tools for understanding how trauma affects the body is Polyvagal Theory, a concept developed by Dr. Stephen Porges. When integrated with EMDR therapy, this knowledge enhances our ability to regulate emotional responses, create safety in the therapeutic process, and foster deep healing.

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Sex Therapy: The Six Sexual Health Principles
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Sex Therapy: The Six Sexual Health Principles

Sexual health is more than just avoiding unwanted pregnancies or preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It’s a dynamic, personal, and deeply human aspect of life. The World Health Organization (WHO) redefined sexual health to include pleasure, consent, human rights, gender diversity, and mental well-being.

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Infidelity: Three Paths to Reconciliation
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Infidelity: Three Paths to Reconciliation

Infidelity is one of the most painful breaches of trust a relationship can endure. In its aftermath, couples often stand at a crossroads—uncertain of how to move forward or if reconciliation is even possible. Over the years, I’ve noticed three distinct patterns among couples working through betrayal: the Sufferers, the Builders, and the Explorers—a framework echoed in the insights of psychotherapist Esther Perel. Understanding which path you're on can help you gain clarity, direction, and ultimately, hope.

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Betrayal: Navigating Anger and Healing After Infidelity
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Betrayal: Navigating Anger and Healing After Infidelity

Infidelity is a deeply painful experience that can shake a relationship to its core. Among the flood of emotions that follow, anger is often the most intense and difficult to manage. While anger is a natural and valid response to betrayal, how it’s expressed can determine whether a couple heals together—or drifts further apart.

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Trauma: 15 Signs You’re Healing From Trauma After a Toxic Relationship
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Trauma: 15 Signs You’re Healing From Trauma After a Toxic Relationship

Breaking free from a toxic relationship is a courageous step—but the emotional wounds often linger long after the relationship ends. Whether you're experiencing anxiety, flashbacks, or self-doubt, these symptoms could point to Post-Traumatic Relationship Syndrome (PTRS), a condition that mirrors the symptoms of PTSD and is rooted in emotional abuse, betrayal, and manipulation.

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Couples: Nurturing Health Relationships
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Couples: Nurturing Health Relationships

In romantic relationships, the idea of boundaries may feel like a barrier—but in truth, they are the foundation of emotional safety, mutual respect, and lasting intimacy. Boundaries help define your personal limits, protect your well-being, and allow you and your partner to connect in healthier, more meaningful ways.

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EMDR: Harnessing the Healing Power of Bilateral Music for Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

EMDR: Harnessing the Healing Power of Bilateral Music for Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma

Are you struggling with anxiety, trauma, or chronic stress? Have you found it difficult to sleep or calm your racing thoughts? If so, bilateral music may offer the soothing support you’ve been searching for. Used in trauma therapy, especially in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), bilateral music can be a gentle yet powerful tool for emotional regulation and healing.

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Codependency: Understanding Empathy vs. Codependency
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Codependency: Understanding Empathy vs. Codependency

In the intricate fabric of human connection, empathy and codependency often appear similar—both rooted in care and concern for others. However, while empathy nurtures mutual understanding, codependency can slowly erode self-worth and emotional boundaries. Distinguishing between the two is key to building relationships that are supportive, sustainable, and emotionally healthy.

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Sex Therapy: Navigating the Realm of Fetishes
Jamie Gibbs Jamie Gibbs

Sex Therapy: Navigating the Realm of Fetishes

As conversations about sex become more open and inclusive, fetishes have become a common topic—ranging from foot fetishes to more niche preferences. While many fetishes are harmless and can enhance intimacy, others may disrupt emotional connection, daily life, or cause distress.

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