The Love Doc Podcast

What if being harder on yourself is keeping you stuck? In Episode 17 of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Hensley explores self-compassion, internalized shame, and how your inner critic can shape your relationships, motivation, and emotional well-being. If you struggle with perfectionism, overachievement, or feeling like you’re never enough, this conversation offers a different way to approach growt...

In this community Q&A episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Hensley answers your questions about abandonment anxiety, emotional shutdown, boundaries, and the relationship patterns that keep repeating. She explores the gap between understanding your attachment style and building the skills to respond differently when emotions run high. Topics include: Navigating the pain of abandonment wit...

How do you heal after a narcissistic relationship—and begin to feel ready to date again? In the third and final episode of our three-part series about narcissistic relationship partners, we explore healing from narcissistic abuse and navigating the dating landscape after getting out. Host Dr. Sarah Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher discuss rebuilding self-trust, reclaiming your sense of worth, and...

Have you stopped telling friends what happens in your relationship because you’re embarrassed—or afraid of what they’ll say? In part two of our three-part series on narcissistic relationship partners, Dr. Sarah Hensley explores the signs of narcissistic abuse and how these patterns can overlap with insecure attachment. From emotional punishment and control to the contrast between public charm and...

What is a narcissist—and how does narcissism differ from insecure attachment? In the first episode of a three-part series on narcissism, Dr. Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher explore narcissistic traits, the differences between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and the patterns that can emerge in relationships. From entitlement and the need for admiration to manipulation, gaslighting, and contr...

Can two fearful avoidants make a relationship work? When both partners have fearful avoidant attachment, the connection can feel unusually deep—until conflict triggers an intense fight, a sudden shutdown, or a reversal of who is chasing whom. In newest episode, Dr. Sarah and Raina explain the fearful avoidant–fearful avoidant (FA–FA) relationship cycle. They discuss why these partners often feel s...

Why are fearful-avoidant and dismissive-avoidant partners so magnetically attracted to each other—only to become trapped in criticism, withdrawal, resentment, and disconnection? In this episode, Dr. Sarah Hensley breaks down the fearful-avoidant/dismissive-avoidant relationship dynamic and explains how couples can interrupt the painful push-pull cycle before it destroys their relationship. You’ll...

Dr. Sarah Hensley answers your questions about attachment styles and relationships in this audience-led Q&A. Join Sarah and Raina as they explore real-life relationship concerns through the lens of attachment science, offering perspectives on understanding yourself and your connections with others. Questions were submitted by members of the Dr. Sarah Hensley Clients and Community Facebook grou...

Something new is in the works at Dr. Sarah Hensley Relationship Coaching Services—and in this episode, Dr. Sarah Hensley and Raina are giving you the first sneak peek.  For months, the team has been developing a new project designed to take Dr. Hensley’s relationship coaching and attachment science to an entirely new level. We can’t reveal everything just yet, but here’s what we can share. Imagine...

Why are you attracted to certain people? Why do some relationships make you feel secure while others trigger anxiety, distance, or fear? And why do the same relationship patterns seem to repeat—even when the person changes? The answer may be found in your attachment system. In this episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Sarah Hensley breaks down the science of attachment in a way that’s easy t...

In this episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Sarah Hensley and Raina Butcher are joined by Dr. Leslie Dobson, a forensic clinical psychologist, speaker, and author, for an in-depth discussion of the Lindsay Clancy case—a case that has raised difficult questions about mental health, postpartum psychiatric disorders, criminal responsibility, memory, and intent. Bringing both a psychological an...

Dr. Sarah Hensley takes a psychological look at the Lindsay Clancy case, examining the complex questions surrounding postpartum mental health, psychotic episodes, memory, and criminal responsibility. What happens to the brain during a psychotic episode? Can someone experience psychosis and later have little or no memory of what occurred? And how might severe postpartum psychiatric symptoms affect...

What is it really like to grow up as the daughter of an attachment expert? In this deeply personal episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Sarah Hensley is joined by her daughter, Gabby Hensley, for an honest conversation about childhood, grief, relationships, and what it means to find security as a Gen Z young adult. Gabby opens up about losing her biological father, how she has learned to cop...

Infidelity is one of the most devastating forms of betrayal—but why do people cheat? Is it always about love? Do people who are unfaithful actually feel guilt and remorse? If they do, how long does that guilt last? And perhaps the biggest question of all: Can a relationship truly heal after betrayal? In this episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Sarah Hensley explores the psychology of infide...

Why does the more someone with anxious preoccupied attachment longs for love, reassurance, and connection, the more likely they are to experience the very abandonment they fear? In this episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Sarah Hensley explores one of the most heartbreaking paradoxes in attachment psychology: the anxious preoccupied attachment style. Learn how the intense fear of rejection...

What if the person giving you the most confusing mixed signals isn't playing games—but is operating from a deeply ingrained survival strategy? In this episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show, Dr. Sarah Hensley explores the psychology behind fearful avoidant attachment, one of the most complex and misunderstood attachment styles. Learn why fearful avoidants can crave deep intimacy one moment and with...

Season 3 is officially here! 🎉 We've missed you all, but we're back and better than ever! Welcome to the premiere episode of The Dr. Sarah Hensley Show . What if we've been wrong about emotionally unavailable people all along? For years, emotionally unavailable partners have been labeled as cold, uncaring, or incapable of love. But what if the psychology tells a very different story? In this Seas...

We’ve officially wrapped Season 2 and are taking a short pause as we put the finishing touches on our brand-new studio. This is a moment of reset, refinement, and preparation for what’s coming next. Thank you for being part of the journey so far—stay tuned, because Season 3 is going to bring bigger conversations, new guests, deeper insights, and a whole new level of what this show is becoming. Big...

Season 2 comes to a close with a special Q&A episode featuring questions submitted by members of the Dr. Sarah Hensley Clients and Community Facebook Group. Throughout this season, we've explored relationships, attachment styles, trauma, healing, communication, and personal growth—and for our finale, we're once again turning the conversation over to you. In this Season 2 finale, Dr. Hensley an...

Parasocial relationships are everywhere in the age of social media. From influencers and creators to celebrities and online personalities, we have more access than ever to the lives of people we've never actually met. While these one-sided connections can provide entertainment, inspiration, and even a sense of belonging, they can also become unhealthy when they begin to replace real-world relation...

Trauma doesn’t just live in the mind — it lives in the body, nervous system, and the relationship patterns we carry into everyday life. In the newest episode of The Love Doc Podcast, host Dr. Sarah Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher explore how unresolved trauma, childhood wounds, emotional neglect, abandonment, chronic stress, and painful relationship experiences become stored in both the brain an...

My ex wants to come back, but can trust really be rebuilt? I believe I'm setting boundaries, but is it really just avoidance? My workaholic, rarely present husband says he's done with our marriage. How will I navigate 50/50 custody of our young children? On the newest episode of The Love Doc Podcast, host Dr. Sarah Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher answer questions straight from The Love Doc Clien...

What makes secure couples different from everyone else? In this week's episode, host Dr. Sarah Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher break down the most common traits found in healthy, emotionally secure relationships through the lens of psychology, attachment theory, communication, and emotional intelligence.  From shared routines to giving your partner the benefit of the doubt, Dr. Hensley and Raina...

Why do you keep finding “proof” that your partner is pulling away or can’t be trusted? In this episode, host Dr. Sarah Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher explore how Confirmation Bias shapes your relationship reality through the lens of Psychology and attachment theory. Your attachment style—anxious, avoidant, or secure—acts as a filter, influencing what you notice, how you interpret behavior, and...

Why do intelligent, self-aware people stay in relationships that hurt them? In this episode, we break down the psychology behind this paradox, exploring how attachment theory, trauma bonding, and subconscious emotional patterns keep people stuck in unhealthy dynamics. Host Dr. Hensley and co-host Raina Butcher unpack how early attachment styles shape the way we give and receive love, often overrid...