Author: Gina Davis, PsyD
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Math Anxiety in Adults: What We Really Mean When We Say “I Can’t Do Math.”
The other day at Trader Joe’s, I got into the express line to check out. “Do you have 15 items or less?” the cashier asked. “I think so,” I said. “Approximately.” She smiled. “That’s okay. I can’t count, anyway.” We laughed. But the subtext was all too familiar. I’ve said it, too. While calculating a…
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When You’re Triggered by An Emotionally Immature Parent
When you’re triggered by emotionally immature parents, it can feel like your inner world is collapsing on itself. You may experience sudden anxiety, anger, shutdown, hypervigilance, guilt, or shame — often followed by thoughts like: Why does this still affect me so much? Why do I still care? Why can’t I just laugh this off?…
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Signs Someone Isn’t Ready for a Healthy Relationship
Learn the signs someone is not ready for healthy relationships and how to protect your emotional wellbeing without shrinking your needs. You can be compassionate, intuitive, and emotionally generous…and still find yourself with someone who is not ready for healthy relationships. In this article, I’ll walk you through the most common signs someone isn’t ready…
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Limerence Signs: How to Know If You’re In It
If you’re searching for limerence signs, you may be trying to understand why your feelings for someone feel so intense, consuming, or overwhelming. Many people stumble onto the word limerence because they’re trying to make sense of an emotional state that feels intoxicating, but also destabilizing. Limerence goes beyond simply “liking someone a lot.” It’s…
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You Can Care About a Dismissive Avoidant’s Pain…And Still Have Needs
Inspired by a post from @real_laurenmarie Related: Read my full article on Avoidant Attachment in Friendship here Many people who love someone with a dismissive-avoidant attachment style feel torn between empathy for the avoidant person’s history and loyalty to their own emotional needs. You may understand where the other person’s distancing comes from. You may…
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Fawn Response and Anxiety: Healing Strategies That Work
Struggling with anxiety and people-pleasing? Learn how the fawn trauma response and anxiety-related compulsions can overlap, and how therapy (EMDR, ERP & mindfulness) can help. You’re at a work meeting. The project lead asks if anyone can stay late to finish a task. Your heart drops — you already promised yourself tonight would be a…
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“I Got Ghosted. Now What?” How to Cope When Someone You Like Disappears
You’ve been texting, maybe even gone on a few dates, and suddenly…radio silence. No explanation. Just…gone. Welcome to the emotionally confusing and frankly rude phenomenon of ghosting. If this has happened to you recently, let me first say: I’m so sorry. It hurts. Ghosting can be a jarring experience that stirs up feelings of confusion,…
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Healing from Traumatic Breakups: How EMDR Therapy Helps
Breakups can be devastating. Period. They are the worst. But when the pain doesn’t fade, and your mind keeps replaying every moment on an endless loop, you might be dealing with something deeper. Have you found yourself stuck in the same thoughts for months, analyzing every word, every silence, every “what if”? Do you wake…
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Unlocking Life Lessons from The Legend of Zelda: You’re Not Failing, You’re Learning
Honest Disclaimer: I haven’t played the game myself (yet!). But recently, a client shared some powerful insights from their time exploring Hyrule, and it struck me how many parallels there are between Zelda and, well…life! From trial-and-error learning to reframing mistakes, the game models so much of what we work on in therapy as it…
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Healing from Toxic Relationships: How Therapy Can Help You Rebuild Trust and Confidence
Are you a young woman struggling with the aftermath of a relationship that now impacts your ability to trust yourself and others? Do you find yourself questioning the unpredictable or manipulative behavior of someone close to you? Do you frequently cater to the whims, wishes, desires, demands of friends, family, partners, coworkers or even total…