Love & Relationship Addiction Therapy
Breaking the Cycle of Relentless Pursuits, Fear of Abandonment, and Unhealthy Bonds
If you find yourself repeatedly trapped in deeply painful relationship cycles—feeling consumed by a partner, terrified of being alone, or continuously drawn to emotionally unavailable partners—you are not alone. What is often described as "love addiction" or compulsive relationship behaviour can leave you feeling exhausted, anxious, and stripped of your personal identity.
Understanding Love Addiction Through a Trauma & Attachment Lens
At its core, love addiction is not about loving "too much"—it is about using relationships, romantic intensity, or fantasy to cope with underlying emotional pain.
Through a trauma and attachment lens, compulsive relationship patterns are deeply rooted in early relational experiences:
Insecure Attachment Foundations: When early caregiving environments were unpredictable, emotionally distant, or traumatic, we can develop anxious or disorganized attachment styles. As adults, this often translates into an overwhelming fear of rejection, abandonment, or loss of control.
Emotional Self-Soothing: Just as substances or behaviours can numb emotional pain, the brain chemicals associated with romance and emotional intensity (dopamine and oxytocin) can act as a temporary defence against deep-rooted feelings of emptiness, shame, or unaddressed past trauma.
The Cycle of Pursuit and Fear: You may find yourself obsessively fixing, controlling, or clinging to a partner to avoid feeling abandoned, or repeatedly seeking out "projects" and emotionally unavailable individuals to recreate and solve childhood relational wounds.
Looking at these patterns through a trauma-informed framework shifts the perspective from self-blame to self-compassion. Your behaviours were once survival mechanisms designed to seek safety and connection—now, we can teach your system safer, healthier ways to relate.
Relational History & Assessment:
Identifying recurring patterns, attachment wounds, and the specific dynamics present in your past and current relationships.
Establishing Emotional Safety & Boundaries:
Developing immediate "bottom-line" boundaries to protect you from toxic relationship dynamics, obsessive monitoring, or compulsive contacting.
Somatic & Emotional Regulation:
Learning practical tools to soothe an overactive nervous system when panic, anxiety, or abandonment fears arise.
Processing Root Trauma:
Safely addressing the core wounds and early childhood messages that fuel feelings of unworthiness or isolation.
Reclaim Your Autonomy and Peace of Mind
You do not have to lose yourself to feel loved. You deserve relationships that offer true peace, security, and mutual growth. Healing is possible. As a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) trained through the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP), Rachel Dahan offers specialized, structured, and compassionate care to help you break free from addictive patterns, build secure self-worth, and establish truly healthy, fulfilling connections.
Let’s Work Together
If you are ready to heal past relational wounds and build healthy connection from the inside out, contact Rachel Dahan today to schedule a confidential consultation.