Though we are wired for connection, we’re also separate human beings. How we navigate these two realities can make all the difference in the quality of our relationships and our lives. Our relationships can be with the family we grew up in, our friendships, romantic relationships, partnerships, marriage and the families we create.
In this newsletter, using Murray Bowen, MD’s Family Systems Theory, I’ll discuss:
The tension that exists in couples and families because of the need to be together, but also to be separate.
What being out of balance can look like in a “system.”
What this can look like for us individually.
How we can move towards more balance in our relationships.
We don’t need to be in a relationship to be impacted by these forces. We all carry within us expectations of togetherness and separateness from the families we grew up in. Our parents carried their own norms based on their families of origin. Through our repeated experiences, our neuronal pathways are reinforced. They can impact how comforting or threatening togetherness feels and how comforting or threatening separateness feels.
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Medical Disclaimer:
This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.
Balancing Togetherness & Separateness - Differentiation & Family Systems Theory