Insights

Relationship advice & insights.

I'm Mark Ryan, a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist and NCPS Accredited Relationship Therapist working with relationships, couples, individuals, and polycules across London. This is where I write about the things that come up most often in the therapy room; jealousy, coming out to a partner, separation, sex and intimacy, and the ordinary arguments that usually aren't about what they first appear to be about.

Some of what's here is written for couples working through something together. Some of it is for one person trying to make sense of their own experience before bringing a partner into it. All of it is grounded in research and real clinical practice, not generic advice dressed up as insight.

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Learning to Love the Skin You’re In: Rebuilding Your Relationship with Your Body
Mental Health and Wellbeing Mark Ryan Mental Health and Wellbeing Mark Ryan

Learning to Love the Skin You’re In: Rebuilding Your Relationship with Your Body

For many of us, our relationship with our body is one of the most private — and most complicated — relationships we will ever have. It’s shaped by our earliest experiences, our culture, the media we consume, and the words spoken to us by parents, peers, and even strangers. At its worst, a poor body image can cast a shadow across every area of our lives — how we relate to others, how we show up at work, and even how we experience intimacy.

But this relationship, like any other, can be repaired. With care, attention, and sometimes therapeutic support, we can begin to reclaim a sense of connection with our bodies — one that is rooted in compassion, not criticism.

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