Psychology In Seattle Podcast

Dr Tom Bellamy, neuroscientist and author who studies limerence and romantic obsession, shares research and personal experience. He explains limerence as a dopamine-driven, addiction-like wanting. They cover features that make it disruptive, risk factors like midlife and attachment, survey findings on prevalence, and strategies to reduce its intensity.

Practical dating questions get explored with blunt, clinical clarity. Topics include spotting controlling behavior, recovering from infidelity or domestic violence, and handling libido or attachment differences. Advice covers negotiating non-monogamy, maintaining identity in relationships, and when to seek therapy or couples work. Safety, consent, and communication are recurring themes throughout.

Jennifer Kramer, artist and filmmaker and survivor of therapy harm, shares her lived recovery journey. Amy Nordhues, author of Prayed Upon and advocate, describes escaping therapist abuse and supporting others. They discuss shame, grooming and assault, emotional exploitation, institutional failures, and why they are making a docuseries to raise awareness.

A rapid-fire Q&A on dating topics from asexuality and dating with disabilities to navigating long-distance and pandemic limits. Discussions tackle ghosting, unrealistic romance ideals, cultural pressures, and single parent dating. Also covers grief after breakups, repairing trust, attachment patterns, and managing needs versus control.

They debate moving abroad with kids, covering planning steps, reversible moves, and easing a child’s language and cultural shock. They analyze dictator psychology, traits that enable authoritarian power, and how systems and situational forces play a role. They unpack a rapid friendship breakup, describing self-centered patterns, attachment roots, and how to set boundaries and self-validate afterward.

They debate whether marriage matters as legal contract, ritual, or social signal. They explore alternatives to weddings and the costs pushed by the wedding industry. They dive into schemas and attachment when assessing mistrust and abuse items. They discuss validating anger toward parents, using anger constructively in therapy, and how apology and repair shape relationships.

A short rerun where dating questions are answered. The conversation teases patron-only content and explains how to access the full segment. Trigger topics like trauma and assault are noted for listener care.

They unpack family dynamics, addiction, and whether upbringing or biology explains violent behavior. They debate substance-induced psychosis versus personality disorders. They talk about setting boundaries with chronically dysfunctional relatives and the heavy choices families face. They probe why victims are often dismissed, exploring police, bias, and systemic failures. They also touch on fear about Colombia and coping with geopolitical stress.

A deep dive into the therapist's journey from identifying as interpersonal to embracing an attachment-based approach. Reflections on research, doubt, and creative blocks. Exploration of attachment theory across the lifespan and its link to social phenomena like conspiracy thinking and distrust of authority.

Dive into the fascinating world of limerence, where an anonymous listener shares their 17-month obsession with a co-worker. Explore how unexpected attractions can arise from timing and trauma. The discussion highlights the addictive nature of limerence and its differences from typical infatuation. Personal anecdotes illustrate the confusing feelings that accompany this experience, emphasizing the role of ambiguity and inconsistent signals in intensifying desire.