Love and relationships ask us to keep learning. Attraction, friendship, family, intimacy, loneliness, conflict, caregiving, and belonging all bring different parts of us into the room.
This collection grew from an ongoing Thriving Now study group led primarily by Rick and Cathy. Jean and Simone were recurring community facilitators, and Dave joined the facilitation as the group evolved. Many other participants contributed their experiences, questions, tapping, and hard-won wisdom.
Start with what fits your life now, or browse the original sessions by date. Some conversations became focused articles. Others remain here because the listening itself has value even when another article was not needed.
Continue with Love & Relationships Study Group — Part II
Explore the Guides
Asking, attraction, and honest fit
- Ask for What You Need Without Making Anyone Wrong
- Be Specific About Fit: Clarity Is Kinder Than Exhaustion
- Flirting as Playful Appreciation With Boundaries
- Invite Without Making Yes a Test of Worth
Connection, loneliness, and belonging
- A Down Day Does Not Make You Unlovable
- Feeling Alone: Build Connection Instead of Analyzing Isolation
- Meet the Person Who Is Here Now
- When You Care More—or Less—Than They Do
Safety, boundaries, and emotional presence
- Safety, Respect, Freedom—and Curiosity
- Separate Your Emotions From Theirs Without Closing Your Heart
Conflict, repair, and mutuality
Family, care, and responsibility
- Kind and Considerate to Yourself When Family Needs More
- Let People Care for You Without Owing Them Control
- Parenting Regret Can Become Repair, Not a Life Sentence
- Stop Rescuing: Move From Taking Care of People to Co-Creating
Explore the Original Sessions
The sessions below are arranged chronologically. Each transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
2012
June 3, 2012
Open hearted; Love connections; Allowed my life to be run from fear; Big groups… or more intimate circles?; Tell me what you want from the experience; Being with people who are disconnected.
June 24, 2012
Easy flow of love and affection; Flattering for people to be invited; Problem going out socially; Duty… loyalty… family visit.
Guides drawn from this session:
July 8, 2012
5 Languages of Apology; Giving myself space to be overwhelmed; Left out of the group; Pyramid of relationship selectivity; Ask a connector question….
July 22, 2012
Flirting feelings; Boundaries and invitations with no brakes; Fun spreaders!; Engaging and appreciating and playing; I can say NO, and look for YES-YES; Artist with my love energy.
Guides drawn from this session:
August 5, 2012
Yoga & instructor styles; Connection vs. exercise; Horrible mood last night; Confused; Physical vs. emotionl connection; Safety, respect, freedom.
Guides drawn from this session:
August 19, 2012
Being alone; Activate more than analyze; Enjoying my mother in her 70s; Frustrated with my friend.
Guides drawn from this session:
September 2, 2012
Connection, attraction, and the wish to be chosen; Noticing what kind of relationship energy feels alive; Letting mutual interest become clearer without force.
September 16, 2012
Massage and time together; 5 Love Languages follow-up; Preparing for hypothetical situations; Unable to get through to him about what he’s feeling emotionally.
September 30, 2012
I’m asking too much, It’s my fault and I need to fix it; I want to attract a guy to have fun with; Diving filtering.
Guides drawn from this session:
October 14, 2012
Guilt over making mistakes with my son; Pointing out my negatives; Transparency and positive aspects; Trying to stay out of my Life Sucks zone; Human Being Day.
Guides drawn from this session:
November 11, 2012
Put out the right energy; Lifestyle design; Relationship with my guides; I want to be more forgiving.
December 2, 2012
My relationship boundaries are becoming more Out There; Whiny 10-year-old and my communications strategy; No man’s land in my relationships.
2013
January 6, 2013
Newness in every moment; Feeling guilty about my emotions helps me to be better; Myself and MY needs… in relation to other people; Alternative thinkers… engaging with people and our guidance; What do you want to get off your chest?.
Guides drawn from this session:
February 3, 2013
Love and communication; How much nephew loves his girlfriend; Coaching and mothering, the differences and benefits of both; Drama triangle (victim, persecutor, rescuer) elevated becomes empowerment triangle (creator, challenger, coach).
Guides drawn from this session:
March 10, 2013
Asking and expressing our needs; Love languages; She wouldn’t acknowledge me; My relationship with myself; My relationship with money is changing.
Guides drawn from this session:
March 31, 2013
My mother never had any money; Out of the business of taking care of him; I’m very pissed; Approval, Respect, Kindness.
Guides drawn from this session:
April 28, 2013
My relationship with myself; Together we’re making a difference; Dreading going back to work tomorrow; They love ME more than I love THEM… and I feel guilty about it; I grew up in a filthy, dirty house; My brother who has Downs Syndrome.
Guides drawn from this session:
May 12, 2013
Symptoms I’ve never had before in my life; Taking abuse from co-workers; If money were a person, who would it be?; Why we personalize….
May 26, 2013
Breaking my patterns with men; I’m Bambi, terrorized by nuns; Few years ago I decided to stop having THAT KIND of relationship… and now I want one, I think.
June 9, 2013
Safety, respect, freedom; UNBELIEVABLE that I’ll ever find a suitable partner; Powerful reaction to honest integrity; Singing lessons… part of me fell in love with him; One of the bullies is going to be my boss.
Guides drawn from this session:
June 30, 2013
Issues with my parents over my painting and wanting to be an artist; Coiled up energy; Letting love in; Separating my emotions from others; Dad guilt; Reinventing yourself.
Guides drawn from this session:
July 14, 2013
I said I’m going, so I HAVE to… don’t I?; Dragged into a meeting; Not sure how much LOVE is in it.
July 28, 2013
We never really understood each other; My granddaughter gave birth… and it is reminding me of…; Baby cat: I never had a baby myself.
August 18, 2013
The guidance we did not receive from parents; Allowing new support and new movement now; Taking a baby step while the body expects old disapproval.
September 15, 2013
Grief and the primitive brain’s focus on everyone we have lost; Letting people show up as themselves; Authenticity, remembrance, and present connection.
September 29, 2013
Feeling unimportant or fraudulent beside a confident person; Friendship expectations and consideration; Inner guidance, worth, and belonging.
October 27, 2013
Work that carries emotional meaning; Translating between technical and human languages; Choosing relationships and projects that keep curiosity and purpose alive.
November 10, 2013
Permission to leave an unsafe or exhausting family situation; Transportation and exit plans as emotional support; Learning one another’s emotional language.
December 1, 2013
How neutral sights and smells can become attached to panic; Family roles and inherited stories; Asking why an old pattern still matters before reenacting it.
December 15, 2013
How new and longstanding relationships develop differently; Sexual availability, interest, and primitive-brain assumptions; Presence and charisma without performance.
December 29, 2013
Taking one baby step toward contact; Choosing a pace that fits personal safety; Asking whether someone is willing to hear our thoughts before offering them.
2014
January 19, 2014
Important messages that arrive years late; Balancing partnership with brief meaningful encounters; Connection across differences in class, background, and life experience.
February 9, 2014
Caring for someone whose coping may not change; Learning from a dysfunctional relationship without becoming hypervigilant; Repairing quickly instead of demanding perfection.
February 23, 2014
Relating with someone who has limited emotional skill; Hearing inner guidance through frustration; Using small tapping steps when clarity is not immediate.
March 9, 2014
Stopping emotional work as soon as there is relief; Balancing care for ourselves with care for others; Permission to say no and reduce discord fright.
Guides drawn from this session:
March 23, 2014
Desire, libido, and medical considerations; How abuse can link sex with powerlessness; Restoring choice, boundaries, and body authority.
April 13, 2014
Naming what really matters in dating and relationship fit; High activation around other people; Letting mismatch be information rather than failure.
Guides drawn from this session:
May 4, 2014
The fear of being a bad mother; Reprogramming old protective pathways; Family conflict and focusing on what matters most now.
June 1, 2014
Primitive-brain alarm on the way to meeting people; Distinguishing activation from guidance; Staying curious while choosing whether to engage.
Guides drawn from this session:
July 6, 2014
A more collaborative relationship with the primitive brain; Bringing up needs outside activation; Receiving care while guiding touch and keeping choice.
Guides drawn from this session:
August 31, 2014
Supporting a partner’s rehabilitation while preserving normal life; Feeding a young child safety and connection; Physical contact, presence, and feeling truly met.
Guides drawn from this session:
September 21, 2014
Worry that a difficult mood will take over; The kind of community that supports growth; Letting experience soften appearance fears and old urgency.
Guides drawn from this session:
December 21, 2014
When support does not arrive in the way we hoped; Treating our own intentions as important; Being honest about how far we can go for family.
Guides drawn from this session:
These recordings include personal experiences and reflect the understanding available at the time. Emotional regulation and tapping can support clearer choices, but they are not substitutes for qualified medical, mental health, legal, or safety support.