Note: This is the second of a two-part series. Click here for part one You know what’s wrong with you. You know most of your flaws, what you do poorly, where you are particularly vulnerable and when you don’t measure up. Likewise, you know when you’re only half-hearted, and you know when you don’t try […]
What’s Good About You? (Part 1)
Note: This is the first of a two-part series. Click here for part two Dear Neil: I am going to be 45, and I can’t seem to move past my issues. I basically feel I am not good enough. I was a baby when my parents divorced. My initial issues with not being good enough […]
Who Is More Wounded? Compassion and Empathy 101
How do you respond when someone says: “My Mother passed away yesterday,” or “I just got laid off of my job?” How about when you hear: “My breast cancer has come back,” or “My husband dumped me for a younger woman?” What do you say when someone shares information that leaves many of us tongue […]
How to Deepen a Relatively New Relationship
Dear Neil: My boyfriend and I have been in a relationship for three and a half years (we are 22 and 21 respectively). We have had a great relationship, and now we feel like we’re ready to take another step. But I am a college student still living at home, and he has started his […]
When You’re Not Feeling Safe in a Relationship
Dear Neil: I need help. I’m in a 9 year relationship with my boyfriend, and we have a 5 year old child. We have broken up a bunch of times. Every time things are OK and we are not yelling or fighting with each other, I do something to rock the boat. We both have […]
When Maintaining Contact With An Ex-Lover Threatens A Relationship
Dear Neil: I am interested in your views of people staying in contact with their ex’s while in a new relationship. I have been dating a man for 5 months, and he believes it is fine to stay in contact and visit occasionally with his ex-partners. He says they are now “friends.” I feel that […]
How Do You Go From a First Date to Falling in Love?
You may know it’s not easy to meet someone new who romantically interests you, especially if you are over 40. You also may know that it is difficult to connect, bond, deepen a relationship and fall in love—even when you do find a promising romantic partner. So how do you go from a first date […]
Why Is It So Hard to Find a New Love? (Part 2)
Following is a continuation of the discussion of why people today have a hard time meeting, connecting, bonding and falling in love: Some men and women compare several potential partners against each other, and frequently wind up not being able to make up their minds. They tend to have commitment issues, and often have their […]
Why Is It So Hard to Find a New Love? (Part 1)
Following is a partial summary of why people today have a hard time meeting, connecting, bonding and falling in love: Think carefully. Out of a hundred single available potential partners in your age range, how many do you think you’ll be attracted to? Out of the ones you’re attracted to, how many of those do […]
Being the Bigger Person
Dear Neil: Since my divorce, my parents have had nothing to do with me. They were distant with us before the divorce, never attempting to make contact or visiting, and being curt when I rang them. I have chosen to be friends with my ex-mother-in-law (who they despise), and in a nutshell my parents and […]







