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NYC Psychotherapist Blog

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Showing posts with label psychotherapist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psychotherapist. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Relationships: Jealousy Isn't Love

Jealousy is a common emotion experienced in varying degrees in most romantic relationships (see my article: Overcoming Jealousy That's Ruining Your Relationship).

What is Jealousy?
Feeling jealous is often a signal of perceived danger to the relationship. 

Jealousy usually involves a fear of losing a partner to a rival. 

Jealousy Isn't Love

A little bit of jealousy can be a signal that you and your partner need to talk about insecurity and unmet needs. 

Communication between you and your partner about what makes each of you jealous or uncomfortable can help you to make positive changes in your relationship.

Why Do People Confuse Jealousy and Love?
People confuse jealousy and love because jealousy tends to: 
  • Signal a deep emotional investment
  • A fear of losing someone who is important 
  • A perceived threat to a valued bond
Jealousy is often romanticized as proof of devotion, but this is incorrect because jealousy isn't love.

What Can Trigger a Jealous Reaction?
Almost anything can trigger a jealous reaction. It depends on the person.

Examples might include:
  • Spending time with friends
  • Talking to an attractive person at a party
  • Going to lunch with a coworker
  • Talking about a former romantic partner which is called retroactive jealousy
How is Jealousy Different From Envy?
People often confuse jealousy and envy.

Whereas jealousy is losing someone or something to a third party, envy is wanting something that someone else has.

When Does Jealousy Become Unhealthy?
A fleeting pang of jealousy which leads to you and your partner talking about the relationship in a calm and thoughtful way can be a good thing and can bring you closer.  

This is different from excessive jealousy.

Jealousy Isn't Love

Excessive jealousy can lead to:
  • Obsessive thoughts and an inability to let go of fears, which leads to constant worry
  • Controlling behavior like dictating who a partner can see or where a partner can go, dictating what a partner can wear, forbidding certain activities and so on
  • Constant unwarranted suspicion with unfounded accusations and excessive questioning
  • Possessive or accusatory reactions
  • Invading privacy such as checking a partner's phone and demanding constant updates, which can erode a relationship
  • Isolation such as trying to isolate a partner from friends and family
Overcoming Excessive Jealousy
  • Self Reflection: If you're the partner who is excessively jealous, reflect on your behavior and identify your insecurities. Recognize that you have a problem and work on building your self esteem and confidence.               

Jealousy Isn't Love
  • Personal Safety: If you're the partner who is experiencing excessive jealousy from your partner, consider your personal safety first. If your partner is threatening you, you need to confide in at least one trusted loved one and remove yourself from harm.
  • Communication: Assuming you can both remain calm, speak openly with your partner about your feelings without blame.
Get Help in Therapy
  • Seek Help: Seek help in individual therapy or couples therapy to work out issues around jealousy.
About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have worked with individual adults and couples for over 25 years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:




































Friday, January 16, 2026

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

During uncertain times it's more important than ever to cultivate hope (see my article: Combining Hope With Meaningful Action).

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

According to Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of Man's Search For Meaning, hope is a choice and a powerful force during the worst of times. 

He posited that everything can be taken away from an individual, but hope cannot be taken away (see my article: A Search For a Meaningful Life).

Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times

Hope isn't contingent on external circumstances (see my article: Living With Uncertainty).  

Instead, hope is your own internal resolve and perspective. Hope requires a desire for a particular outcome and, even though that outcome isn't guaranteed, the act of hoping can strengthen your sense of resilience.

What Can You Do to Cultivate Hope During Uncertain Times?
To cultivate hope:
  • Remember Your Successes From the Past: Remember the times in the past when you overcame challenges and allow those memories to motivate you.
Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times
  • Prioritize Connection and Community: Connecting with others who also want to cultivate hope can provide you with a sense of belonging and a community. Getting together with others can help build strong relationships and a collective sense of hope (see my article: The Need For Community and a Sense of Belonging).
  • Seek Out Inspiration: Inspiration can come from others who have overcome whatever challenges you're facing. This could be people you know or you might find it in a story or biography about someone who overcame adversity.
  • Challenge Your Negative Thoughts: Become aware of how your negative thoughts might be causing you to slip into a state of hopelessness and helplessness.  Don't allow your negative thoughts to spiral. Look for evidence, no matter how small, of a more hopeful outcome to problems (see my article: 5 Tips For Challenging Negative Thoughts).
Cultivating Hope During Uncertain Times
  • Take Small Steps: If the problem you're facing is big, take small and steady steps towards your goal so you can build momentum toward the bigger goal. 
  • Celebrate Small Wins Towards Your Goal: Learn to celebrate small wins on your way to accomplishing your goal (see my article: How to Celebrate Your Progress).
  • Practice Self Care: When you're going through uncertain times, you need to prioritize self care in ways that are meaningful to you. Eat well, get enough sleep and exercise at a level that's right for you to boost your mood (see my article: Taking the Time For Self Care).                        
Get Help in Therapy
If you are going through a particularly difficult time and self help strategies aren't enough, seek help from a licensed mental health professional.

Get Help in Therapy

A skilled psychotherapist can help you to overcome the obstacles that might be getting in your way so you can lead a more fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.




 

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Trauma Therapy: You Can't Change Your History But You Can Change Your Relationship to Your History So You Can Heal

Many people who are hesitant to get help to overcome the impact of their traumatic history think getting help in trauma therapy won't make a difference for them because it won't change what happened to them.

Trauma Therapy

How Can You Change Your Relationship to Your History of Trauma?
While it's true that you can't go back in time to change your history, you can heal in trauma therapy to reduce or eliminate the impact of traumatic experiences.

Transforming Trauma Into Resilience: Current modalities of trauma therapy can help you to transform trauma into resilience by:
  • Acknowledging Your Feelings: Acknowledging the pain instead of suppressing it. This means feeling the pain and completing the trauma healing cycle. It does not include toxic positivity, which is not a genuine response to trauma.
  • Developing a Support System: Instead of remaining isolated, you can develop a support system with trusted loved ones or support groups.
  • Developing Better Coping Skills: Trauma therapy includes helping clients to develop better coping skills to manage emotions before and after processing trauma.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is the capacity to recovery from stress and trauma rather than avoiding hardship (see my article: Developing Emotional Resilience).

Trauma Therapy

Genuine resilience also means finding new hope and growth after trauma rather than pretending to yourself and others that the trauma made you "stronger" when this isn't how you really feel.

What Are the Different Types of Trauma Therapy?
Safe and effective types of trauma therapy include:
  • EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Trauma Therapy
  •  IFS (Internal Family Systems/Parts Work)
  • AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
Get Help in Trauma Therapy
If you feel stuck due to your traumatic history, you're not alone.

Get Help in Trauma Therapy

A skilled trauma therapist can help you to process your traumatic history so you can live a more meaningful life.

About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experiencing working with individual adults and couples to overcome trauma.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.








 

Monday, January 12, 2026

Being Able to Identify Your Emotions Helps You to Build Emotional Intelligence

I've written about emotional intelligence (EQ) in prior articles (see my article: How to Develop Emotional Intelligence).

In the current article, I'm focusing on how identifying emotions helps to build emotional intelligence.

What is Emotional Intelligence?
Many people have difficulty identifying their emotions because they were never taught how to do it as children. As a result, as adults, they have difficulty developing emotional intelligence.

Identifying Emotions Helps to Build Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence includes the ability to:
  • Recognize, understand and manage your emotions
  • Recognize and understand the emotions of others
  • Manage stress
  • Navigate social situations
  • Develop stronger relationships
  • Build career success
Why Is It Important to Be Able to Identify Your Emotions?
Being able to identify your emotions helps you to understand your inner world which allows you to manage your reactions and navigate the world more skillfully.  

How Does Emotional Identification Build Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional identification helps you to develop:
  • Self Awareness: This is the cornerstone of emotional identification and EQ. Being able to name your emotions (e.g., "I feel sad" or "I feel angry") is the first step. Self awareness allows you to move beyond just saying "I feel overwhelmed" or "I feel bad" to identify more specifically what you feel.
  • Self Regulation: When you're able to name your emotions, you can gain the ability to regulate them.  This means you can pause and take a breath before you react.  This helps you to prevent disruptive impulses so that you can adapt your behavior in stressful situations and develop resilience (see my article: Responding Instead of Reacting).
  • Improved Relationships: Being able to identify your emotions helps you to understand how you impact others. It helps to build empathy which can improve communication and build stronger bonds.
  • Improved Decision-Making: Awareness of your emotional state helps you to make better decisions by making you aware of when your judgment might be clouded by your emotions. This can help you to make more rational decisions.
  • Foresight and Preparation: You can learn to recognize and anticipate emotional triggers. This allows you to work on strategies to manage your emotions and to get help in therapy to work on the origin of those triggers.
Getting Help in Therapy
Even though you might not have developed the ability to identify emotions as a child, you can learn to develop emotional intelligence in therapy.

Getting Help in Therapy

A skilled psychotherapist can help you to learn the necessary tools and skills to develop emotional intelligence which will allow you to be more self aware and improve your relationships.

Developing a better understanding of yourself and your relationships can help you to lead a more fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:










 

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Why Do People Suppress Their Emotions?

Many people have a difficult time experiencing certain emotions in a healthy way so they suppress their emotions, which has health and mental health consequences.

Emotional Suppression

Which Emotions Are Commonly Suppressed?
The following emotions are the ones that are commonly suppressed among people who feel they need to hide these emotions:
  • Anger: Anger is often perceived as being aggressive or out of control (even for people who are experiencing anger in a controlled way). Frustration and rage, which are part of anger, are often suppressed (see my article: Fear of Anger is Often Coupled With Guilt and Shame).
  • Sadness or Grief: Crying or showing sadness or grief is often discouraged in our society, especially for men. This often leads to emotional suppression.
Why Do People Suppress Emotions?

Emotional Suppression
  • Social Conditioning: As mentioned above, many people are taught to be "tough" or polite which leads to hiding emotions which are perceived as negative.
  • Fear of Judgment: People who suppress certain emotions often fear that they will be judged or criticized for expressing certain emotions, so they suppress these emotions rather than expressing them.
  • Maladaptive Coping Mechanism: People who suppress certain emotions hide these emotions as a maladaptive coping strategy to avoid discomfort or situations they feel would be overwhelming for them (see my article: Avoidance as a Maladaptive Coping Strategy).
What Are the Consequences of Emotional Suppression?
The most common consequences of emotional suppression include:
Emotional Suppression
  • Emotions Resurface More Intensely: People who suppress their emotions often discover that these emotions resurface in a more intense way. They are also more at risk, compared to people who can express their emotions in a healthy way, for alcoholism, drug abuse and other impulsive or compulsive way
Get Help in Therapy
If you tend to suppress emotions that make you feel uncomfortable, you could benefit from getting help from a licensed mental health professional.

Get Help in Therapy

Learning to express your emotions in a healthy way can help you to be more self aware, reduce anxiety and stress, improve health and mental health and develop healthier relationships (see my article: Learning How to Express Your Emotions in a Healthy Way).

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed psychotherapist so you can live a more fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, Parts Work (IFS and Ego States), Somatic Experiencing and a Certified Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Article:













 

Monday, December 29, 2025

The Problem With Emophilia: Falling In Love Too Hard and Too Fast

Emophilia means falling in love too hard and too fast (see my article: Falling In Love With the Fantasy Rather Than the Reality).

Falling In Love Too Hard and Too Fast

People with emophilia prioritize the exhilarating feeling of falling in love over the practical evaluation of a partner which often sabotages long term relationship success.

What Are the Problems With Emophilia?
The problem with emophilia is that it can lead to:
  • Risky behavior
  • Poor relationship choices
  • Potential exploitation by a partner
  • Heartbreak
People who have problems with emophilia often overlook red flags because they rush into relationships without knowing the other person. 

This also puts them at risk for getting involved with partners who have Dark Triad personality traits including:
  • Narcissism
  • Machiavellianism 
  • Psychopathy
The impulsivity of emophilia results in unhealthy patterns, power imbalances and repeated cycles of intense highs followed by heartbreak as opposed to a stable, healthy connection.

Emophilia often overlaps with an anxious attachment style because these people seek intense attachments to feel whole or avoid rejection. 

Key Issues of Emophilia:
  • Ignoring Red Flags: The intense rush of feelings overshadows the warning signs. This makes people ignore manipulative and toxic behavior. There is a tendency to only focus on their partner's seemingly positive traits while being in denial about the toxic traits.
  • Attraction to Toxic Partners: These individuals tend to be attracted to people with Dark Triad traits (as mentioned earlier). This leads to a repetition of harmful relationships.
  • Impulsive and Risk Behavior: This can include unsafe sex and making a commitment to a relationship before knowing the other person well (e.g., getting married or moving in quickly).
  • Relationship Imbalance: An example of this is saying "I love you" too quickly which puts pressure on the other person and creates a relationship imbalance and resentment.
  • Emotional Volatility: This pattern usually involves quick, intense romantic involvement followed by instability or drama instead of deep sustainable love.
  • Exploitation: Charismatic individuals with Dark Triad personality traits can easily exploit their partner's quick emotional investment for their own selfish gains. Individuals with Dark Triad traits often start relationships by love bombing their partner--not because they are so interested in their partner but because they want their partner to fall for them quickly so they can manipulate them.
Clinical Vignette
The following clinical vignette is a composite of many different cases with all identifying information changed to protect confidentiality:

Beth
After the breakup of her fourth relationship, Beth sought help in therapy at the suggestion of her close friends. They told her that they saw recurring negative patterns in the men she chose (see my article: Do Your Friends See Red Flags in Your Partner That You Don't See?).


Falling In Love Too Hard and Too Fast

Beth wasn't sure she agreed with her friends, but she knew she needed help to understand why each time she got into a relationship, she thought she met her soulmate, but after a while her partner lies, cheats and leaves her for another women (see my article: Why Looking For a Soulmate Will Disappoint You).

She told her therapist that her last partner, Bill, pursued her relentlessly after they met at a party.  The day after they met, Bill sent her a beautiful bouquet of roses with an invitation to go to an exclusive restaurant.

From the moment she met Bill, Beth thought he was very handsome and charismatic. On their first date Bill told her that he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Beth felt like she was a princess in a fairy tale by their second date. In her imagination, she could see herself walking down the aisle to marry Bill. She pictured their beautiful home with two children.

Her close friends warned her that she was allowing herself to fall in love with love rather than taking the time to get to know Bill. They also warned her that Bill was love bombing her, but Beth ignored them because she liked the feeling of being swept off her feet.

On their fourth date, when Bill told her that the lease on his Manhattan apartment was about to expire, Beth saw this as a sign they were meant to be together and she told him he could move in with her.

Their first week of living together was like a dream come true for Beth. She was sure Bill loved her, so one night when she made a special dinner for them, she told Bill that she loved him.  Bill kissed her on the cheek, but Beth was disappointed he didn't tell her that he loved her too.

A few weeks later, Bill told her he was having dinner with a friend and she shouldn't wait up for him. When Beth asked him who he was having dinner with, Bill seemed annoyed and just repeated he would be home late.

When Beth woke up in the middle of the night and she realized Bill wasn't home yet, she became worried. She texted his phone, but her message wasn't delivered. Then she tried calling him, but her call went straight to voicemail.

When he walked in at 3 AM, Bill was startled to find Beth sitting on the couch waiting for him, "What are you doing, Beth? Why aren't you asleep?"

When she responded that she was worried because she couldn't reach him, Bill snapped at her. He said he didn't like her checking up on him and he refused to tell her who he was with and what he was doing.

After they had a big argument the next morning, Bill packed some pf his things and said he would be staying with a friend for a few days. Once again, he refused to give Beth any information.

When Beth called her friend Jane in a state of tears, Jane was quiet for a few seconds. Then, reluctantly, she told Beth she saw Bill kissing another woman at an outdoor restaurant.  Jane felt devastated.

During the next two weeks Beth felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster. When she tried to talk to Bill about the other woman, he refused to talk to her. He slept on Beth's couch, left early in the morning before she woke up and came back after she was asleep.

Then, one day Bill didn't come home at all. When Beth got home from work, she discovered that  all of his belongings were gone. He ignored her calls and texts for days. Then one day he sent her a short text that he was through with her and he told her not to contact him again.

Beth told her therapist that her prior relationships began and ended in similar ways and she couldn't understand why she had such "bad luck" in her relationships (see my article: Unhealthy Relationship: Bad Luck or Poor Choices?).

Her therapist provided Beth with psychoeducation about emophilia and helped Beth to see the connection between her relationship choices and her family history in a volatile family home with a depressed mother and narcissistic father who had extramarital affairs.

Her therapist talked to Beth about trauma therapy to work through her traumatic family history which she was unconsciously repeating in her relationships.

Beth worked through her traumatic history in trauma therapy with a combination of EMDR therapy and IFS Parts Work Therapy (see my article: Combining EMDR and IFS Therapies).

The work was neither quick nor easy but, over time, Beth could feel she was freeing herself from her family history (see my article: Progress in Therapy Isn't Linear).

She was no longer attracted to men who had Dark Triad traits and when she met someone with these traits, rather than being charmed by him, she ended her contact with him quickly.

She also took her time to get to know men she liked before she made a commitment to be in a relationship.

Conclusion
Emophilia isn't a psychiatric diagnosis. It's a personality trait characterized by a powerful drive to experience the thrill of falling in love without assessing a potential partner. 

These individuals tend to attract partners with Dark Triad traits because they fall in love with love and they are easy to manipulate by these type of partners.

Get Help in Therapy
If you recognize that you tend to fall in love too hard and too fast, seek help from a licensed mental health professional who has an expertise in this area.

Get Help in Therapy

A psychotherapist who has an expertise in trauma therapy can help you to become aware of your relationship patterns and overcome the underlying issues driving these unconscious patterns, 

Once you have worked through these issues, you can make better relationship choices and live a more fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

As a trauma therapist, I have over 25 years of experiencing individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.




























 

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Overcoming Trauma: You Are Not Defined By What Happened to You

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, coined the phrase, "I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."

What Does It Mean That You Are Not What Happened to You?
Carl Jung's phrase means that while past experiences have shaped you, your true self isn't defined by them (see my article: You Are Not Defined By Your Diagnosis).

You Are Not Your Trauma

Instead, your true self is defined by the choices you make, your responses, and your ongoing process of self creation. The emphasis is your personal agency in choosing who you are, what you want to be and how you respond.

This way of looking at your history, including unresolved trauma, highlights that, with help and the right tools, you have the ability to transcend your history to overcome trauma and proactively build a future identity.

Jung was positing that none of us are a finished product based on our history. On the contrary, we have an innate ability to heal and grow beyond our history and circumstances (see my article: Healing From Unresolved Trauma: The Mind Has a Powerful Innate Ability to Heal Itself).

What Are the Keys to Transcending Your History?
  • Personal Agency: You have the power to decide who you are regardless of your history, although you might need help in therapy to do it.
You Are Not Your Trauma
  • Identity as Evolving: You identity is a evolving process--not a static state.
Healing From Psychological Trauma
Choosing to get help in trauma therapy is a courageous act--not a sign of weakness (see my article: How Trauma Therapy Can Help You to Overcome Unresolved Trauma).

Your mind has an innate ability to heal due to the mind's neuroplasticity.

You Are Not Your Trauma

Neuroplasticity is the mind's ability to reorganize its structure and function by developing new neural connections which allows you to adapt and recover.

Neuroplasticity underpins your ability to grow as an individual, overcome challenges and maintain cognitive health by strengthening beneficial pathways and pruning weaker ones.

What is Trauma Therapy?
Trauma therapy is an umbrella term for psychotherapy modalities which were developed specifically to help clients overcome trauma including:
  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy
You Are Not Your Trauma
  • AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
Get Help in Trauma Therapy
If you have been struggling on your own with unresolved trauma, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who is trained as trauma therapist.

Get Help in Trauma Therapy

Seek help from a licensed trauma therapist so you can free yourself from your traumatic history and live a more fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

As a trauma therapist, I have helped many individual adults and couples to heal from trauma.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.