Ep. 282: Why some of us avoid love
Guest: Areej Siddiqui, couples and family therapist
“She loves me, she loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not” is a game played by someone while plucking petals off of a flower.
The petal supposedly represents the truth between the object of their affection loving them or not.
On Valentine’s Day, it’s not unusual to want to know you are loved and that you do love. However, as family and couples therapist Areej Siddiqui says, “Love is not always embraced by everyone. In fact, there are people who are love avoidant.” In other words, they choose to remain single.
The factors are complex but are linked to the primary caregiver early in life. Siddiqui says, “There may have been a negative relationship; there may have been a smothering relationship; there may have been an emotionally vacant relationship.” All are factors that could lead a child to be reluctant, suspicious or afraid of intimacy.
We invited Areej Siddiqui to join us for a Conversation That Matters about love, our need to connect and how to get past avoidance.
