What does relational nourishment mean to you?

I’ve learned in my fifteen years as a therapist that many people did not receive adequate relational nourishment. This happens for many reasons—structural and systemic, trauma and neglect. Sometimes we don’t even know that we didn’t receive this type of nourishment because we don’t have any other perspective or experience; it’s just the reality. But what I’ve also learned is that relational nourishment can be cultivated at any point in our lives if we know what to look for and how to do it.

Elizabeth GilletteJuly 29, 2025relational nourishment project, elizabeth gillette, anxious attachment style, avoidant attachment style, disorganized attachment, relational trauma, relationship coaching, relationship issues, relationship patternsComment

What's the update for your life story?

Twenty years ago, I had just turned 18 and my dad hadn’t died yet.

I was preparing to move for my first year of college. I was working as a hostess at a restaurant, eating baguette and butter for dinner most nights I was there. I was in a relationship with a person who was exceptionally intelligent and emotionally manipulative, and I felt like I didn’t deserve anything more than I already had, in that relationship or otherwise. My self-esteem was tanked and I was depressed.

Elizabeth GilletteAugust 14, 2023attachment style, attachment theory, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment style, disorganized attachment, relational trauma, relational coachingComment

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