Relationship Therapy Resources
Emotion-Focused Therapy
The cycle
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), created by Dr. Sue Johnson, outlines this as a couple’s “cycle”. The cycle, characterized using an infinity loop with no start and no end, display the reoccurring pattern where each partner’s actions, emotions, and thoughts trigger and feed off of the other partner’s. When couples are in their cycle, it can feel incredibly painful, confusing, and even hopeless.
The good news is that EFT therapy is a perfect space to understand what’s happening in your cycle - on your end and on your partner’s end - and learn to do something different.
pursurers + withdrawers
The terms pursuer and withdrawer refer to each partner’s attachment styles or strategies they pull from to attempt to get their needs met in relationships.
A pursuer in a relationship is a partner who leans towards anxious attachment strategies or reaches towards their partner in times of relational distress and unmet needs.
A withdrawer in a relationship is a partner who leans towards avoidant attachment strategies or pulls away from their partner in times of relational distress and unmet needs.
The huddle
An intimate communication strategy that builds safety and structure to relational conversations.
