Relationships Archives

Those Other Three Words

April 21, 2021 by Dr. Gary Brown

There’s a lot of talk about when to say those special three words – “I love you” – in a relationship. Some say a relationship can be doomed if they are shared too soon or not at all, and experts often weigh-in on the best timing. However, that’s actually not the subject of this article. I’m talking about the other three words that can be ...read more

Filed Under: Relationships Tagged With: child, children, communication, connection, family, friends, intimacy, loved one, parents, relationships, support, trust

50 Conversation Starters to Help Grow Your Relationship

March 29, 2021 by Dr. Gary Brown

Life can be so busy that we don’t always sit and talk, really talk, to the one we love the most. There’s so much happening with work, family, friends and household errands that all too often we forget to take the time to connect with our partner and really tune into them and to provide an opportunity for them to tune in to us. Everyone likes to ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Relationships Tagged With: communication, connection, intimacy, love, trust, vulnerability

Tips For Dealing With Covid During the Holidays

December 11, 2020 by Dr. Gary Brown

In almost any ordinary year, we would normally see multi-generational families, hopefully enjoying a traditional get-together for the holidays. The very luckiest of families may still be able to do that this year. But for most of us, this is no ordinary year. Being separated from our loved ones over the holidays this year may be harder and ...read more

Filed Under: Family, Relationships Tagged With: anxiety, COVID-19, Dr. Gary Brown, DrGaryLATherapist, family, holidays, individual therapy, Los Angeles therapist, relationship therapy, stress

7 Relationship Conversations for the Next COVID Challenges

June 7, 2020 by Dr. Gary Brown

So far, you’ve made it through quarantining together. Congratulations. Hopefully you both have taken the time to acknowledge that you faced adversity together and you’re coming out on the other side. Being together at home for that amount of time and sharing your space is no easy feat and you should be proud of your relationship ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Relationships Tagged With: communication, community, conversations, coping, coronavirus, couples communication, COVID, fears, freedom, gratitude, kindness, living together, quarantine, relationship conversations, relationships, self care, stress

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – Part 6: Gratitude

March 19, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

We’ve talked about several of the core foundations of love and intimacy, that I have outlined in this series: vulnerability, trust, courage, self-awareness, and kindness. However, one more remains to complete the solid foundation for the basis upon which we can expand our ability to experience the many benefits of being in a loving ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: couples counseling, intimacy, love, marital therapy, marriage, premarital counseling, relationships

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – Part 5: Kindness

March 16, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

Ok. You might be looking at the title and why I am highlighting something that should be obvious – we need to be kind to one another. And you would have a point. It should be obvious but you might be surprised to learn that so many partners have actually lost sight of just how important kindness is. Here’s why. We’ve talked about ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: core foundations, couples, intimacy, kindness, love, marriage, relationships

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – Part 4: Self-Awareness

March 12, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

Have you ever been in a relationship, but wanted something more? Your partner may have all the boxes checked when it came to height, looks, education, income, and all the other things that we initially may find important. But then at some point, you may start to get the sinking feeling that you’re settling or you begin to realize that ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: intimacy, love, marriage, relationships, self-awareness, trust

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – Part 3: Living Courageously

March 9, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

Do you know that feeling when you are so vulnerable and scared about something, you can barely bring yourself to even look at your partner in the face? This situation can be very painful because we may be locked into feeling shame, guilt, embarrassment, fear, sadness, or anger. And we feel that we have to keep it inside because if we talk about it, ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: core foundations, courage, intimacy, love, marriage, needs met, relationships, strength, tears, vulnerability

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – Part 2: Trust

March 5, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

There are those moments in every relationship when you may be looking into your partner’s eyes and wondering if you can trust them with your inner world. The ability to trust ourselves and our partner is the true cornerstone - and most important pillar - upon which to build a foundation of love and intimacy. The ability to experience trust in ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: counseling, couples counseling, couples therapy, intimacy, love, marriage, marriage counseling, relationships, trust

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – Part 1: Vulnerability

March 2, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

In relationships, we talk about taking them to another level. Maybe it’s the first time you say those three special words, maybe it’s when you take your loved one to meet the parents over the holidays or maybe it’s moving in together. No matter what phase of your relationship you’re in, you can always take it to another level of depth and ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: core foundations, counseling, couples counseling, intimacy, love, move slowly, relationships, tough conversations, trust, vulnerability

The Core Foundations of Real Love and True Intimacy – A Six Part Series: Introduction

February 26, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

Having been in private practice for over 25 years, I have met hundreds and hundreds of individuals and couples who are struggling in their relationships…or lack thereof. Their challenges are many and as diverse as the people I work with. Each person and situation is unique. Having said that, I have learned – and, really, my clients ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Foundations of Love, Relationships Tagged With: couples counseling, courage, gratitude, intimacy, kindness, love, marriage, marriage counseling, relationships, self-awareness, therapist, trust, vulnerability

Three Phases of Romantic Love

February 5, 2019 by Dr. Gary Brown

People often ask in one way or another, “Should love change over time?” My response is always, “I certainly hope so!” Why do I say this? It’s fairly simple. I see far too many couples who settle for so much less in their love life. They may have initially fallen in love but after a while, it doesn’t seem to progress much beyond that. People ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Relationships Tagged With: couples, dating, Dr. Gary Brown, DrGaryLATherapist, individual therapy, Los Angeles therapist, love, marriage, mature love, relationship therapy, relationships, romantic love

How to Decide If It’s Time to Move In Together

November 6, 2018 by Dr. Gary Brown

Sara (not her real name) came in for her appointment a while ago and I could tell something, other than the usual, was on her mind. She has been seeing her boyfriend for a little over a year. She’s 24 and he is 27 (not their actual ages). Sara’s been thinking about the future lately and believes she is ready for things to go to the next ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Dating, Relationships Tagged With: commitment, compromise, cons of living together, living together, pros of living together, relationship, should we live together, should you live together, what are the pros and cons to living together

3 Common Relationship Fears and How to Move Beyond Them

September 11, 2018 by Dr. Gary Brown

We all have fears in our relationships. It’s absolutely normal. I was recently interviewed by Elite Daily about what are the most common fears and how to best address them proactively with your partner. If you are in a relationship where fears are starting to get in the way of your togetherness or you simply need some relationship advice and ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Relationships Tagged With: couples, couples counseling, fear, insecurity, marriage counseling, relationship advice, relationships, troubled marriage

How Do You Know When It’s Not Right to Trust Your Gut

July 17, 2018 by Dr. Gary Brown

Do you always and should you always trust your gut? Has your gut always been right? ...or all too often wrong? Bustle reached out to me for an interview about these gut-wrenching and mind-bending questions that people sometimes struggle with. I hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to contact me if you are currently dealing with this ...read more

Filed Under: Individuals, Relationships Tagged With: Bustle, intuition, relationships, therapy, trust your gut