Love Rice

Love Rice is a podcast created by Bloom. Hosted by therapists Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner. Specializing in healing trauma from sexual betrayal and sexually based addiction. You can find out more about Bloom at bloomforwomen.com. To submit questions you can reach us at hello@bloomforwomen.com.

Love Rice is a podcast created by Bloom. Hosted by therapists Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner. Specializing in healing trauma from sexual betrayal and sexually based addiction. You can find out more about Bloom at bloomforwomen.com. To submit questions you can reach us at hello@bloomforwomen.com.

Love Rice is a podcast created by Bloom. Hosted by therapists Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner. Specializing in healing trauma from sexual betrayal and sexually based addiction. You can find out more about Bloom at bloomforwomen.com. To submit questions you can reach us at hello@bloomforwomen.com.

Love Rice is a podcast created by Bloom. Hosted by therapists Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner. Specializing in healing trauma from sexual betrayal and sexually based addiction. You can find out more about Bloom at bloomforwomen.com. To submit questions you can reach us at hello@bloomforwomen.com.

What to do with anger? A common yet confusing emotional response. Love Rice is a podcast created by Bloom. Hosted by therapists Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner. Specializing in healing trauma from sexual betrayal and sexually based addiction. You can find out more about Bloom at bloomforwomen.com. To submit questions you can reach us at hello@bloomforwomen.com.

In this episode, Jeni Gessel and Dr. Skinner take a look back at a conversation from a previous episode. Specifically, discussing the concept of "how we got here." They will work to unpack that statement adding context and clarification. If you've been betrayed in your relationship it's important to understand that it's not your fault. You're not to blame for the decisions of your partner. There is benefit in keeping that perspective as you work to understand your relationship, your partner, and your path to healing.

When working on relationship repair how do we balance things like reassurance, independence, and connection? How do we begin to navigate the needs and responsibilities of ourselves and our partner when trust has been broken? In this episode, Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner will discuss the balancing act of relationship repair. They will look into the trust-building process and discuss some of the crucial elements involved.

Therapist Michael Blair joins the podcast for this episode. Michael discusses an approach that he uses for treating betrayal trauma called Guided Imagery. It's an approach that many of his clients have seen success with. We're excited to share it with you.

We get a lot of couples coming to us looking for help. They feel stuck and they're not sure how to move forward. They’re desperate to repair their relationship. However, navigating the process comes with challenges. There are some crucial steps to take before couples are ready to work on their relationship. In this podcast episode, Dr. Skinner and Jeni Gessel discuss what the crucial steps are that will prepare a couple for therapy. This is a great conversation that includes step-by-step guidance for couples that are considering therapy.

Do you ever feel like there are parts of you that are at war with each other? Like part of you feels one way and another part of you feels completely different? Like there’s an ongoing debate raging within your head? Struggling to understand and cope with behaviors, thoughts, or feelings is a normal thing. Especially when experiencing such tremendous heartache, pain, associated with betrayal trauma. In this podcast episode therapist and author, Jenna Riemersma talks with Dr. Kevin Skinner about a revolutionary new way of understanding your feelings and behaviors. It’s called Internal Family Systems (IFS). Jenna will discuss her new book titled Altogether You and how her life and the life of her clients have been transformed using the principles of IFS.

When there's been betrayal in a relationship a formal disclosure can be one of the foundational building blocks for rebuilding trust. In fact, of those couples that go through the disclosure process, 90% report that they were glad they did. Even more interesting is that for couples that are committed to working things out, 86% of them that discuss the betrayal thoroughly end up staying together. But is a formal disclosure the right thing for you or your relationship? Not every situation or relationship is created equal. In this episode, we discuss the dos and don'ts of navigating a formal disclosure. How you can know if you're ready for a disclosure and if a disclosure would benefit your relationship.

In this episode, we'll take a deep-dive into Dr. Skinner's research on sexually based addictions and compulsive behavior. Specifically, we'll look into one of his key findings, the role that loneliness can play in addiction. We'll discuss whether or not that loneliness is perceived or real and where it stems from, what loneliness looks like within a relationship, and how the cycle can be broken.

Reconnecting intimately after sexual betrayal can be difficult and scary. When trust and safety have been broken it's nearly impossible for intimacy to exist. However, there is a process of reestablishing trust and safety in a way that can create space for vulnerability and intimacy to be reintroduced. In this episode, therapist Karen Strange joins the podcast to discuss the process of intimacy reintegration. Karen is one of the founders of the Center For Sexual & Relational Health. She brings a unique combination of training and experience as she is both a Sex Therapist and a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist. She will discuss how intimacy is much more than sex and why that's so important for couples to understand. She will also outline the crucial steps that need to be taken before a couple is ready to begin reintegrating intimacy into their relationship.

In this episode, Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner have an insightful conversation about fear, shame, empathy, and relationships. You'll learn the importance of giving fear a voice, how shame keeps things stuck, and the important role empathy can play in healing a relationship.

Fight, flight, or freeze. When we're faced with a traumatic experience we respond in one of three ways. Responding to betrayal in our relationships isn't any different. The question is why do we respond the way we do and is it possible to control our response in sudden traumatic situations? You'll also learn which one of these responses is actually the most traumatizing.