Dating

Francis Ha

By Elisabeth LaMotte / October 16, 2015

Director: Noah Baumbach Writers: Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig With so many engaging, independent women living the single life in New York and in cities everywhere, it’s surprising there aren’t more authentic films about the single woman’s experience.  Sure, Sex and the City was a great fit for my cohort, and now Girls continues to…

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Trainwreck

By Elisabeth LaMotte / August 3, 2015

As a therapist specializing in relationships, I spend a lot of time discussing dating patterns, intimacy and commitment.  Many clients decide to enter therapy when they realize that their romantic life has felt unsatisfying for years.  When a client expresses pain or frustration about difficulty finding love, it is often helpful to focus on the…

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Meet Me in Montenegro

By Elisabeth LaMotte / July 21, 2015

Breakups are rough.  Some rougher than others.  And when the breakup happens suddenly, with no warning, the sting of what therapists often call a “cut-off” can feel as unsettling as the loss of the relationship.  Cut-offs refer to important relationships that stalemate when one person refuses contact with another.  In dating, the current popular term…

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Thanks for Sharing

By Elisabeth LaMotte / December 1, 2014

Romantic relationships are complicated, intense, beautiful entities that can be challenging to nurture and sustain.  Today’s persistent emphasis on high-speed solutions, high-tech communications, and ubiquitous social networking can compromise the development of a simple, organic union between two like-minded people hoping to find love.  For those who struggle with sexual addiction, a long-term committed relationship…

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Romantics Anonymous

By Elisabeth LaMotte / September 2, 2014

Most of us experience some form of social anxiety.  We may feel nervous before a social gathering or slightly agitated during group activities.  In the extreme, social anxiety compromises the ability to connect to another person in an intimate relationship.  Jean-Pierre Ameris’ 2010 French film “Les Emotifs Anonymous” is a comedic but meaningful study of what happens…

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500 Days of Summer

By Elisabeth LaMotte / June 19, 2014

A painful breakup is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy.  Breakups are almost never easy, and almost never mutual.  Most people going through a breakup say they wish they could reverse their situation back into a relationship.  However, as much as losing a relationship can hurt, breakups also carry the opportunity for…

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Her

By Elisabeth LaMotte / June 10, 2014

As a therapist working with adults in their twenties, thirties and forties, many of whom are single, I frequently discuss the way that technology affects dating and relationships with my clients.  I often wonder what the future will look like, and how much farther the internet revolution will infiltrate and impact the human experience of…

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

By Elisabeth LaMotte / May 22, 2014

Ben Stiller, 2013, 114 minutes The intersection of dating and technology is an inevitable topic for single adults in therapy.  Whether discussing questions about the choice to pursue on-line dating, or how Facebook, Instagram and texting shape the modern relationship landscape, technology has a profound influence over the process of seeking romance and connection. Directed…

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Don Jon

By Elisabeth LaMotte / March 10, 2014

Written and Directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 90 minutes, 2013 Internet porn has changed relationships and marriages in more ways than a couples therapist can count.  Questions on the pornography front are quite common.  Is it okay to watch together?  Is it okay to watch it alone?  If so, how much is too much?  These questions…

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Broken English

By Elisabeth LaMotte / November 1, 2013

(2007, Zoe Cassavetes,  93 minutes) When you are single, it can seem like absolutely everyone is in a relationship.  It can also seem like everyone expects you to find a relationship.  People can say and do the most hurtful and insensitive things to convey the message that you are somehow less than those who are…

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