{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"ep 128 \/ Ego vs. Intimacy: What\u2019s Really Getting in the Way of Connection","description":"Are you feeding your ego\u2014or your intimacy? In this thought-provoking episode of Relationship Dish, Pam and Iona unpack the subtle but powerful forces that quietly sabotage closeness in relationships. Drawing on ideas from David Burns\u2019s Feeling Good Handbook, they explore how conflict, blame, defensiveness, self-pity, and the need to be \u201cright\u201d can feel addictive\u2014meeting hidden cravings for power, superiority, or even adrenaline\u2014while pushing true intimacy further away. Iona gets candid about how her traumatic family background once wired her to seek the rush of conflict, while Pam highlights the toxic trap of arrogance and how humility is the antidote. And to lighten things up, Iona shares a laugh-out-loud story about just how competitive she gets when playing Scrabble with her husband. Because at the end of the day, every couple has to choose: build the fence\u2014or build the intimacy. ","author_name":"Relationship Dish","author_url":"http:\/\/relationshipdish.com\/","html":"