Empowered Relationship Podcast: Your Relationship Resource And Guide

Dealing with difficult emotions can feel uncertain, scary and extremely uncomfortable, especially when we have not had positive experiences with experiencing and expressing our emotion in the past.  In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:     The next three steps (out of five) in how to deal with difficult emotions.  How we can recognize and identify our primary emotions. How acknowledging...

Dealing with difficult emotions can feel uncertain, scary and extremely uncomfortable, especially when we have not had positive experiences with experiencing and expressing our emotion in the past.  In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   The tendency to want to suppress, deny, avoid and reject our painful emotions.  How avoiding painful and difficult emotions leads to more suffering and...

David Richo Ph. D. is a Psychotherapist, Writer, and Workshop Leader. He teaches at a variety of places including Esalen and Spirit Rock Buddhist Center. He shares his time between Santa Barabara and San Francisco in California. Dave combines psychological and spiritual perspectives in his work.   In this episode, David Richo and Dr. Jessica Higgins discuss:   The 3 common triggers: fear, anger, a...

Brianna Wiest has traveled internationally as a journalist, written for Fortune 500 companies, and has spoken in cities around the continental United States. She is the author of five books, her latest, The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery is being published in 2020. Her dream is to use the power of words to help people awaken to their fullest potential, build emotiona...

In this episode, I am answering a listeners's question in how to reconnect emotionally with his wife.  In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   The four stages of separation distress.  The benefits and value of going slow to maintain emotional balance and regulation.  How to reveal and soften to help create safety.  The importance of being emotionally present and attuned to your significa...

Today, I am referencing Dr. Vivek Murthy's book, Together , to offer some added support for the larger conversation around institutional racism, oppression and social justice.  In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   The right of human belonging and humanization. The role of disconnection, dehumanization, fear and distrust that plays into our experience. How do we build trust, repair and...

Today, I am pausing from the regularly scheduled episodes to stand in solidarity for Black Out Tuesday and Black Lives Matter. On the Empowered Relationship podcast, we address principles that support healthy relationship. The importance of safety, respect and reverence for people expands beyond intimate connection. We are all a part of a human family. When harm, injury, abuse, injustice occurs, i...

Today, I am giving more attention and support to a listener's question, who writes "How do you deal with a partner who stonewalls?" In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   What stonewalling is and what it entails.  Common dynamics and patterns that lead to one partner withdrawing or stonewalling.  What is often underneath the stonewalling behavior and what it feels like on the receiving...

In last weeks episode, ERP 215, we discussed how connection to other people really begins with our connection to ourself. In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   What loneliness is and how we experience it.  The 3 dimensions of loneliness, and how we need all three to thrive. How our expectations and cultural messages influence loneliness.  The consequences and health risks of loneliness...

When I saw the #alonetogether, I questioned "Is this really what we are all feeling? If anything, it seems like the majority of us are feeling "togetheralone."  In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   With the division in perspectives and approaches right now, it can be hard to know how to move forward (with both supporting the economy and people's health and safety).  The challenges of...

Dr. Tom Habib is a clinical psychologist specializing in couple's therapy. Tom has published papers on a Couple's Line of Development ( Integral Leadership Review, Aug-Nov, 2016, revised 2018 ) in addition to other publications on other topics.  He has presented at the Integral Theory Conference, at the Integral European Conference where he was recognized for the Best Practitioner Paper, Honorable...

Terry Real is a nationally recognized family therapist and author. Particularly known for his groundbreaking work on men, his work on gender and couples. He published the national bestseller: I Don't Want To Talk About It, the first book written on the topic of male depression. He has been in private practice for thirty years and he is the Founder of The Relational Life Institute, where he teaches...

The Mindful Couple. Craig has over 30 years of experience dedicated to helping couples  rekindle their love, deepen their intimacy and strengthen communication as a couples therapist, and Debbie is a relationship educator and coach. Through Lambert Couples Therapy, they have worked with thousands of couples, helping them understand the often unconscious underpinnings of relationship conflict. They...

Ian Ferguson is an intimacy coach and teacher of the Erotic Blueprint Breakthrough™ platform, designed to radically transform how we talk about and experience sex. Ian is an expert on clearing shame and ending struggles that keep people from experiencing a deep intimate connection and sexual satisfaction. Through the Erotic Blueprints, he and Jaiya Ma have provided a 'Rosetta Stone' for people to...

Kyle Benson is an Intentional Intimate Relationship coach providing practical, research-based tools to build long-lasting relationships. Kyle is best known for his compassion and non-judgmental style and his capacity to see the root problem.   In this episode, Kyle Benson and Dr. Jessica Higgins discuss:     The importance of tuning in to the information our bodies give us to improve our health an...

Donna is one of the Co-founders and facilitators of The Bridge Retreat and has been working with individuals, couples and groups for almost 30 years.  Donna is passionate about the subject of grief and the grieving process which she believes offers the missing link for many in their search for wholeness. This interest stemmed from her own very personal experience of 'depression' which she suffered...

No doubt, we are all feeling the stress of the COVID-19 crisis. I reach out to you today to be in community with you, as we are all being impacted. With the threats looming, it is easy to feel scared, uncertain, and a sense of loss.  (Please listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript to hear explanations, stories and examples.)   In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   How the...

Ericka Young is a recognized expert in financial coaching and helps families significantly improve their finances and their future. As founder and president of Tailor-Made Budgets, she teaches debt freedom through her e-newsletters, personal coaching, group programs, and speaking engagements.   In this episode, Ericka Young and Dr. Jessica Higgins discuss:     How most people see debt as "normal,"...

Typically, we don't think about porn being related to lovemaking. However, many people are experiencing relationship challenges related to the use of porn.  (Please listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript to hear explanations, stories and examples.)   In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   How the use of porn has changed over time.  Our paradigm about and consciousness arou...

About Simone Milasas: Simone Milasas is a lady who knows how to be a woman, who sees the joy of possibility and future and knows that there is the prospect of possibility in every choice you choose. Simone is the author of Joy Of Business translated into 13 languages and best-selling book Getting Out Of Debt Joyfully translated into 5 languages. She is currently working on her 3rd book with Brendo...

Learning more about your attachment and communication styles can give you and your partner the power to transform a challenging relationship.    About Amy Chan:  Amy Chan is the Founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp, a retreat that takes a scientific and spiritual approach to healing the heart. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of JustMyType.ca - an online magazine that focuses on the psychology behind...

In this episode, I talk with Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn about the film Ordinary Love .  Bleecker Street's ORDINARY LOVE, starring Academy Award® nominees Lesley Manville ("Phantom Thread") and Liam Neeson ("Schlinder's List"). Following its critically acclaimed debut at TIFF, ORDINARY LOVE hit theaters on Valentine's Day, February 14th, and follows the story of an everyday couple with a re...

Sharing sexual intimacy and love making with your significant other can be such a profound and prominent way to express love and passion within your bond. And yet, there are so many things that make the process of coming together in an open, flexible, and engaged way challenging.  (Please listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript to hear explanations, stories and examples.)   In this ep...

In this episode, I will be addressing a listener's question in a little more depth.  If you do not resonate with the example shared, then please replace "tattoo" with something that your partner has done that is against your wishes.  (Please listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript to hear explanations, stories and examples.)   In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   The bene...

In Part 2 of this series, Jessica dives deeper into the how-tos of building emotional connectivity with our partners in order to reaffirm trust and safety while negating criticism.  (Please listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript to hear explanations, stories and examples.) In this episode Dr. Jessica Higgins discusses:   Healing the intimacy disconnect between unspoken fear and defen...