Psychology Today | 04.07.2026 21:37
A common occurrence in psychotherapy is seeing the patient who seems unable to form any lasting or satisfying long-term romantic relationships. Frequently, they tend to be attracted to emotionally or otherwise unavailable individuals, resulting in repeated failed attempts to establish intimate bonds. In some cases, these same or similar dynamics can be observed in patients who are already in a committed but problematic, volatile, unstable, and stormy relationship. Everyone knows that good communication is essential for healthy relationships. But what happens when clearly communicating just isn’t enough? This is something psychotherapists see frequently: couples having serious difficulties for which teaching them basic communication skills is simply not sufficient. What’s going on with such cases?
