Dr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and AssociatesDr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and Associates

Dr. Lena Agree’s Emotional Intimacy Insights & Strategies

How to Build Strong Relationships: Effective Strategies for Building Connections and Overcoming Loneliness

Proven Strategies to Build Emotional Intimacy and Overcome LonelinessHow to Build Strong Relationships: Effective Strategies for Building Connections and Overcoming Loneliness

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Connection is the set of interactions and felt experiences that make people feel understood, safe, and valued, while loneliness is the subjective distress that comes when meaningful connections are missing. This article explains why relationships matter for emotional and physical health and lays out evidence-informed strategies—grounded in attachment theory, mentalization, and communication science—for building trust, empathy, and lasting social bonds. Readers will learn core principles that underpin strong connections, concrete communication skills such as active listening and “I” statements, emotion-regulation practices that support repair, and practical steps to overcome social isolation. The guide also maps when targeted supports—couples therapy, individual therapy, parenting support, and assessments—can accelerate change and restore connection. Throughout, practical lists, comparison tables, and short exercises make strategies…

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How Your Attachment Patterns Sabotage Your Happiness (and How to Break Free)

How Your Attachment Patterns Sabotage Your Happiness (and How to Break Free)

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If you struggle with feelings of depression, flatness, anxiety, anger, or other unpleasant symptoms, you have your attachment system to blame. Attachment is an innate, unconscious system that tells you from infancy, that you must stay close to your your parents because you need them to protect you from physical danger, illness and overwhelming emotional distress (Bowlby 1988). This is what makes little kids cling to their moms in public places. They just know, “Mom keeps me alive.” This isn’t learned behavior; it’s more like an instinct. It gets “turned on” in response to real or perceived threats to your survival and well-being, such as when you’re tired, hungry, or frightened, or separated from your parents.  The problem is, it…

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Seeking Greater Intimacy? Think About Sex.

Seeking Greater Intimacy? Think About Sex.

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Try this experiment: Place your full attention on something  sexual for several minutes and then think about it for a little while. Afterwards, take notice if you seem to be more talkative. New research cited in a recent article by Elizabeth Bernstein says you will be. And, notably, it suggests that you will also be more inclined to reveal aspects of yourself to those with whom you converse. Apparently, thinking about sex motivates us to seek connection with others by making us chattier about ourselves. The cycle of emotional intimacy According to Dr. Birnbaum, the studies’ lead researcher, “Thinking about sex starts a positive cycle of emotional intimacy: When you think about sex and then disclose personal information, the other person likes you more. If the attraction…

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