There is a particular kind of frustration that brings people to therapy — not just pain, but the inability to articulate it. “I don’t know how to explain it.” “I know something is wrong but I can’t say what.” “I feel like I don’t have the words.”

You don't mean to do it. Someone gets close—really close—and something in you starts to pull back. You pick a fight. You go cold. You find a reason to leave, or you act in a way that makes them leave first. Afterward, you wonder: why do I keep doing this?