In a world that moves fast and rewards distraction, sitting with our feelings can feel like swimming against the tide. Many of us are taught, implicitly or otherwise, that emotions are things to fix, suppress, or rationalise away. Yet when we pause long enough to notice what’s happening within us, we open the door to something far more healing than avoidance could ever offer.

A psychodynamic look at unconscious patterns in relationships

Have you ever found yourself saying, “Not again…” after yet another relationship—romantic, platonic, or professional—falls into the same uncomfortable pattern? Maybe it’s the emotionally unavailable partner, the friend who constantly takes but rarely gives, or the collaborator who starts off with charm and ends in chaos. Different faces, same feeling.

It’s easy to blame bad luck or external circumstances. But from a psychodynamic perspective, repetition in relationships is rarely accidental. Instead, these patterns often point toward something deeper: our unconscious mind quietly shaping the dynamics we’re drawn to—without us even realising it.