Podcast Episode
3138: Are You in an Unhealthy Relationship? by The PsychAlive Team on Relationship Red Flags
Optimal Relationships Daily - Dating, Marriage and Parenting·Optimal Living Daily | Greg Audino·14 September 2026·10 min

About this episode
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Episode 3138:
The PsychAlive Team walks through the warning signs that a rough patch has hardened into an unhealthy relationship: less eye contact, less physical affection, communication breaking down, and a couple starting to speak as though they are one person. They explain Robert Firestone's concept of the fantasy bond, where two people keep the form of closeness while the real feeling drains out of it, and why deep fears of intimacy quietly push us there. They close with how to tell whether the relationship itself is the problem, or whether it is the way the two of you relate.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.psychalive.org/unhealthy-relationship/
Quotes to ponder:
"A fantasy bond replaces real acts of love and affection toward your partner with an illusion of connection."
"Being vulnerable to someone leaves us feeling vulnerable to the world."
"You may be surprised to find that it isn't the relationship that is unhealthy but the ways you relate that are unhealthy."
Optimal Relationships Daily is a daily relationship advice podcast where we narrate the best articles on healthy relationships, dating, marriage, and parenting, read to you by a professional narrator so you can strengthen your closest connections a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices