Showing posts with label fear of commitment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fear of commitment. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Lost in California


The man who is the love of my life is my high school sweetheart. Unfortunately, after high school I went to college and he went to the navy and we have been apart for almost four years now. During this time we have tried to be together but the strain of the distance was too much. Yet, we cannot let go and up until now we always say we will move on and yet have not.

Well now I am about ready to graduate from college and he is almost done with the navy. Neither of us are in serious relationships and we always had said this was THE year to finally be together. I have expressed my true feelings to him and told him that I am still in love with him .I followed this up with a visit to see him for the weekend. Yet, he cannot commit to me and says he 'cannot jump back in 'I know he still loves me, so why is he saying this? Could he be scared or is this a sign for me to move on? He is also a very indecisive person and prides himself on this? Help, please.



It is your boyfriend who sounds lost, not you. You are correct when you say that he is scared. He went into the Navy, which was his way of avoiding intimacy. You say he is very indecisive and likes this quality in himself, which means he has no motivation to change this part of himself. Now, he has the chance to commit and he says he can't jump back in.


Maybe it's time for you to jump ship while you have the chance. And, don't be surprised if you find him chasing you when you pull back. People who suffer from your boyfriend's problem always come in close when they feel you distancing. But as soon as you respond, they pull back again. If you had said in your letter, he knows he has a problem with intimacy and wants to work on it, I would feel there is hope. But, I didn't hear anything like this in your letter. So, as far as I can see, this guy is a dead-end. And, if you don't want to spend your life chasing a rainbow, you need to seriously consider moving on before it's too late.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

36 and Waiting Patiently

Dear Dr. Love,

I am 36 years old and been dating a 36 year old guy for 7 years.We truly love each other and he told me he even talked to a couple about great honey moon spots.My question is how long do you wait for the one you love to ask you to marry him? We can’t stand the thought of not seeing each other, but yet if I even hint at talking about things, he says lets not get into that right now. I know he loves me but he also needs a lot of time alone, which I don’t require much of. It is hard to not think about it and talk about it so What DO I DO? Please help out if you can!



Notice that your friend brought up, on his own, the question of good honeymoon spots. So, we know where his mind is ranging. Since he is moving more and more toward commitment, the best thing for you to do is to bite your tongue and not mention the subject. My point is simple. Every time you bring the subject of marriage up, even if you utter only the slightest hint, it sends him back a few steps. So, hang back or you’re going to be past menopause before the guy pops the question.

Instead of nudging him for commitment,  actually take on his fears and voice them as if they were his own. Knowing him, you probably can figure out what his fears are (no freedom, no privacy). Whatever you think his fear is, voice it yourself. You might say, ‘I can see why people would hesitate to marry, how can they have enough time for themselves. ' By going along with his resistance and extending upon it (Extension Joining), you will actually help dissolve it. Remember, if you buck the resistance head on, with pressure tactics, the resistance gets stronger. Now, all the while you’re joining his fears, by all means set an end date for yourself, after which you won’t wait anymore, just to keep yourself from going insane or panicking that this waiting will never end.


Dr. Jamie Turndorf ( aka Dr. Love)