Welcome to my Blog

Thank you for stopping by. This space is where I share research, reflections, and practical tools drawn from my experience as a marriage and family therapist.

Are you a couple looking for clarity? A professional curious about the science of relationships? Or simply someone interested in how love and resilience work? I’m glad you’ve found your way here. I can help with that.

Each post is written with one goal in mind: to help you better understand yourself, your partner, and the hidden dynamics that shape human connection.

Grab a coffee (or a notebook), explore what speaks to you, and take what’s useful back into your life and relationships. And if a post sparks a question, or makes you realize you could use more support, I’d love to hear from you.

Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
~Daniel

P.S.

Feel free to explore the categories below to find past blog posts on the topics that matter most to you. If you’re curious about attachment, navigating conflict, or strengthening intimacy, these archives are a great way to dive deeper into the research and insights that I’ve been sharing for years.

 

Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw

How being in a hurry reveals our true personalities

As a marriage and family therapist, I often emphasize that time is the very essence of life.

It's fascinating how our true selves emerge under the strain of time pressure, a phenomenon that could be described as "being in a hurry” — the way our authentic traits are exposed when we're in a hurry.

This exposure raises profound questions about our nature and the role of time in shaping our identities.

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Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw

Disrupted sleep in your 30s and 40s? There are consequences…

Greetings, gentle reader. Are you sleeping ok?

Did you know that, for some of you, how you’re sleeping now might be carving grooves into your cognitive destiny?

As you’ve probably noticed, this blog has an ongoing focus on sleep science.

A recent study has suggested that disrupted sleep patterns that are established in your 30s and 40s might impact memory later.

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Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw

How Neuroticism and Introversion Interact to Produce Chronic Anxiety

As a marriage and family therapist, I often see how intertwined our personality traits are with our mental health.

For those grappling with both neuroticism and introversion, the journey can be especially challenging.

Research indicates that folks who exhibit both of these traits are more susceptible to chronic anxiety problems…

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Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw

Optimists Sleep Better: How Training Your Optimism Could Improve Your Sleep

Research indicates that optimists get better sleep, with a 70% lower chance of suffering from insomnia or sleep disorders than their less optimistic counterparts.

Optimists, who typically view the future with hope and see goodness in the world, may benefit from reduced ruminative thoughts about stressful events, a common culprit for keeping insomniacs awake at night…

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Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw

Confirmed: Exercise Improves Sleep…

Science has finally confirmed what many suspected to be true about sleep: exercise indeed improves sleep quality, as a recent study affirms.

While some may not subjectively feel the effects, this naturalistic study demonstrates a clear link between exercise and improved sleep metrics, particularly in the realm of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

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Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw Marriage and Mental Health Daniel Dashnaw

Personality change after bariatric surgery and bariatric divorce…

Personality change after bariatric surgery is a fact, and a bariatric divorce is often the result.

After bariatric surgery, hormone levels dramatically shift, and the post-surgery dietary regime changes serotonin levels and neurotransmitter activity in the brain.

Personality change after bariatric surgery can wreak havoc in marriage and leave spouses completely unprepared…

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