trust Archives - Gary Brown

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

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 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

How to Build Trust and Loyalty in Relationships

October 16, 2018 by Dr. Gary Brown

If you find yourself an untrusting soul in relationships because you have a trail of broken hearts (or maybe just a really good one that has left you scarred), you may be unsure about how to create a sense of safety and loyalty in your relationship. I was recently interviewed for an article on Bustle about this very topic. There are a ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Dating Tagged With: couples counseling, dating, love, loyalty, relationship counseling, relationships, trust

The More Important A-List That We All Need To Be Talking About

March 6, 2018 by Dr. Gary Brown

Now that Variety has reported on all the Oscar winners, and the after parties have ended, the rest of us need to get back to our regular lives. However, even though the Oscars are over, maybe there is something for us to learn from the idea of A-listers. I'm not talking about the Hollywood celebrities, but your own personal A-list… ...read more

Filed Under: General counseling Tagged With: feel safe, gratitude, Hollywood, meaningful, quality relationships, relationships, self-esteem, toxic relationship, trust

12 Signs That He or She Is Not “The One”

July 4, 2017 by Dr. Gary Brown

One of the struggles that bring single people the greatest pain is related to the confusion about whether their current boyfriend or girlfriend is “The One.” You can imagine what it might be like for the couple in the picture below as one, or both, of them, are wondering whether the other really is “the one” or not. There can be so much ...read more

Filed Under: Dating, Individuals, Relationships Tagged With: fighting, how to know he's not the one, how to know she's not the one, must-haves, not getting help, respect, substance abuse, trust, trust your gut

How to Know You May Have Found “The One”

June 20, 2017 by Dr. Gary Brown

I love talking to people who are at the point in their relationships when they think they may have found “the one.” The glow of happiness and security is a wonderful thing to witness!I’ve had plenty of clients in my office over the course of the past 25+ years that have this glow, yet still wonder if he or she is truly IT. I’ve had plenty of ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Dating, Relationships Tagged With: common values, dating, finding mr. right, finding the right one, how do I know if he's the one, respect, the one, trust

Are Happy Relationships the Fountain of Youth? A 75-Year Harvard Study Has the Answer

June 13, 2017 by Dr. Gary Brown

I have long, LONG been a supporter, cheerleader, proponent, rabble-rouser, whichever term you’d like to use, of the idea of authentic, high-quality, deep relationships. I believe it’s critical to have certain people in your life you can be truly open and emotionally intimate with; those who you feel fully secure with. Whether it’s your partner, ...read more

Filed Under: General counseling, Relationships Tagged With: aging, aging better, connection, deep relationships, how to connect with others, secret to a longer life, secret to happiness, trust, vulnerability, what is the secret to being happy

Recovering from an Affair: Learning How to Cope

June 6, 2017 by Dr. Gary Brown

You may be in a situation where you have suspected or recently discovered that your partner had an affair. If so, it is more than understandable that this can be a very painful and scary time. Given the circumstance, how could you not be having those feelings? It is certainly true that affairs can happen for a variety of reasons: loneliness, ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Relationships Tagged With: affair, avoid unnecessary feelings, cheating, divorce, don't make any major decisions after an affair, embrace self care after an affair, embrace your feelings, family, having an affair, how to cope after an affair, how to recover after an affair, infidelity, intimacy, listen, marriage, rebuild respect, rebuild trust, recovering after an affair, respect, self care, self care after an affair, separation, trust, what to do after an affair

Three Steps to Rebuilding Trust

March 28, 2017 by Dr. Gary Brown

What do problems with finances, parenting, and infidelity have in common? Two things. First, they can break a relationship, and second, they all have to do with trust.Each of these hot button areas for couples boils down to a sense of trust or lack thereof. Lack of trust, trust betrayed, and trust taken for granted can lead to the very worst ...read more

Filed Under: Couples, Relationships Tagged With: betrayed trust, how to build trust in my partner, how to rebuild trust, how to trust my partner, lack of trust, trust, when trust is betrayed, when trust is ruined