How to Deal with a Partner Who Overreacts
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
Your Partner Isn’t “Overreacting.” Their Nervous System Is in Survival Mode. Let me start with
Communication & Conflict
Empathi's Communication & Conflict
What Is the Triangle of Conflict? How Hidden Feelings, Anxiety, and Defense Shape Your Relationship
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
The triangle of conflict, developed by David Malan, reveals how hidden feelings, anxiety, and defense mechanisms create the destructive cycles that keep couples stuck. Learn how to identify your pattern and break free.
How to Deal With a Partner Who Minimizes Your Feelings
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
When your partner says ‘it’s not that big of a deal,’ something inside you gets smaller. Minimizing is not just dismissiveness. It is a nervous system survival strategy rooted in shame. Here is what attachment science says about why it happens and what you can actually do about it.
How to Deal with a Partner Who Invalidates Your Feelings
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
Emotional invalidation is one of the most corrosive forces in a relationship. Here is what attachment science says about why your partner dismisses your feelings, and what you can actually do about it.
What Is the Demand-Withdraw Pattern? Power, Gender, and the Hidden Engine of Relationship Conflict
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
Watch: Figs O’Sullivan, LMFT explains this. Start free with Figlet. If you have ever been
What Are Gottman’s Bids for Connection? The Small Moments That Predict Your Relationship’s Future
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
A bid for connection is any attempt one partner makes to reach for the other. Gottman’s research shows that couples who turn toward bids 86% of the time stay together, while those at 33% divorce. Learn what bids look like, why attachment science explains their power, and how to start turning toward today.
What Is the Soft Startup? The Gottman Technique That Determines How Every Conversation Ends
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
Gottman research shows that 96% of the time, the way a conversation starts predicts how it ends. The soft startup is the clinically validated technique for beginning difficult conversations without triggering your partner’s defense system. Learn the structure, the neuroscience, and how to practice it.
How to Have Difficult Conversations in a Relationship
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
The Conversation You Keep Avoiding Is the One Your Relationship Needs Most Let me guess.
How to Deal with a Partner Who Avoids Conflict
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
Your partner sidesteps, deflects, and minimizes every difficult conversation. This is not indifference. It is a nervous system in survival mode. Here is what attachment science says about conflict avoidance and what you can actually do about it.
What Is Emotional Safety in a Relationship? The Neuroscience, the Biology, and Why It Matters More Than Communication
Figs O'Sullivan
April 16, 2026
Emotional safety is not a feeling. It is a biological state in which your nervous system registers your partner as a source of regulation rather than threat. Here is what attachment science actually says about why it matters more than communication skills.
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This interview originally appeared in GGMG Magazine, the magazine of the Golden Gate Mothers Group.
