By Joel Block Ph.D.
Losing enthusiasm
Some people lost their enthusiasm for life as a natural result of losing their sense of optimism. They have allowed negative life experiences, difficult challenges, rejections, or setbacks to quell their sense of hope in the future. By middle age, the habit of pessimism has begun to take a toll […]

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By Joel Block Ph.D.

Is this you?
You may have noticed them sitting at a nearby table in a restaurant. Well-dressed, middle-aged, attractive, the man and woman exchange few words. When they speak, they look past each other as often as they look at each other. They are together, but they don’t connect. Most observers would rightly […]

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By Dr. Joel Block(Part One)
There are two main ways for the offender (and the offended) to make things worse when confronted with a trust violation:
One is withdrawal, to keep everything bottled up inside. The other is to erupt, to emote without restraint. If you are having too many conversations with yourself, you are probably not […]

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By Joel Block, Ph.D.

Sexual infidelity is the headline grabber when most people think about betrayals in love relationships. But, there are everyday breaches of trust that slide under the radar and can erode even the strongest of relationships.
A small lie about a purchase, a slight exaggeration about a job promotion, a cover-up about a […]

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By Joel Block Ph.d.
Mother’s catch hell. In movies, in literature, the theme often comes back to the not-quite-good enough Mom. But what about fathers? Not to be left out, for better or worse, fathers play a large role in the blueprint that we will follow in our relationships with others, and in the relationship we […]

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By Dr. Joel Block

Attention Boomers! Rekindle the flame and turn up the heat with these six suggestions.
1. Open your eyes occasionally while kissing. The visual stimulation will probably increase your arousal, as well as provide your partner useful feedback on how you are feeling about the kiss. Some studies have suggested that men […]

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By Dr. Joel Block

Some time ago, I was riffling through the Book Review of The New York Times. Something caught my eye and grabbed my attention. It was a work of fiction, a fascinating account of openness between a man and a woman.
Here’s the story: A married man of 30 years spots a woman, who […]

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Edited by Joel Block, Ph.D. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have thoughts about love and sex. Here are the shared thoughts of the famous and near famous:
“Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is.” […]

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By Dr. Joel Block

Relationship wisdom is like diet advice, most of it sounds good, but it doesn’t work. Here, the real thing gleaned from many years of treating couples:
1.Very often the initial attraction—what draws you to your lover—becomes, some years later, the basis for divorce.
Remember that guy that you chose because he appeared to […]

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By Joel Block

I believe there are two main drivers in life: love and fear. Love is big in the media, fear is big in life. Fear wears many masks, and for many people that may include religion. This isn’t to say that religion doesn’t serve some people, but it also may, in a subtle […]

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