{"id":82293,"date":"2023-02-14T11:00:46","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=82293"},"modified":"2023-05-19T14:02:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T13:02:37","slug":"addicted-to-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm","title":{"rendered":"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have &#8216;Romance Addiction&#8217;?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_136967\" style=\"width: 322px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136967\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-136967\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-312x400.jpg\" alt=\"addicted to love\" width=\"312\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-312x400.jpg 312w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-467x600.jpg 467w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 312px) 100vw, 312px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-136967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by Amel Uzonovic for Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Love is certainly a vast concept, and researchers have not been able to<\/strong> come up with an exact criteria for &#8216;love addiction&#8217; that would make it something you could be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/a-personality-disorder-diagnosis-helpful-or-a-trap.htm\">diagnosed with by a doctor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">But at the same time,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #333399;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/20545601\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the research shows<\/span><\/a> that symptoms in those with forms of love dependency are similar to symptoms of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/substance-abuse-vs-addiction.htm\">substance dependence<\/a>. And that brain regions and neurotransmitters that are activated by substance dependence may also be triggered if we have<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/relationship-doubts.htm\"> unhealthy relating issues<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>So what is clear is that we can have addictive<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/signs-of-an-unhealthy-relationship.htm\">unhealthy behaviours around relating<\/a>, and around our ideas of love.<\/p>\n<h2>What does it look like to be &#8216;addicted to love&#8217;?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>A study attempting to make a<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/psychometric-test.htm\">psychometric scale<\/a> for people to assess how addicted to love they are puts it nicely. They say it can be seen as &#8220;when love is characterised by obsession, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/pure-o-pure-ocd.htm\">compulsive behaviours<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-anxious-attachment-style.htm\">anxiety<\/a>, and negative life consequences.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Generalised love addiction means you will prioritise relationships and the attention of others above all else. <\/strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The addiction here is to the feeling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-engulfment.htm\">being engulfed with another<\/a>. You will have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/examples-of-core-beliefs.htm\">hidden belief<\/a> that you are not whole as is, but need someone else to &#8216;complete&#8217; you and make you feel happy<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Symptoms of love addiction<\/h2>\n<h4><strong>Symptoms of love addiction can include:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>constantly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-want-to-fall-in-love-how-to.htm\">seeking a relationship<\/a> or thinking about one<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-stop-thinking-about-someone.htm\">endlessly thinking and talking about your last relationship<\/a> or current one<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/always-moving-too-fast-in-a-relationship.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">rushing into relationships<\/span><\/a> that tend to be messy and intense<\/li>\n<li>feeling &#8216;high&#8217; when with a partner\/love interest but despondent when alone<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/great-codependency-hoax-codependent.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">changing your life to suit your relationship<\/span><\/a> and your partner<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-histrionic-personality-disorder.htm\">always on the lookout and craving attention<\/a>, even from strangers<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/fear-of-relationships-and-love.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">fear of commitment<\/span><\/a> but also<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/fear-of-abandonment.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> fear of being abandoned<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/panic-attack-vs-anxiety-attack.htm\">feelings of panic<\/a> if the partner\/love object disagrees with you of disapproves of you<\/li>\n<li>hidden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-esteem-and-depression.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">low self-esteem<\/span> <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/why-do-i-feel-so-unloveable.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">beliefs you are not actually loveable<\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The different types of love addiction<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Other types of love addiction include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>romance addiction<\/li>\n<li>people addiction<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/7-myths-about-sex-addiction.htm\">sex addiction<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_136968\" style=\"width: 277px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136968\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-136968\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-Shllugkc4W4-unsplash-267x400.jpg\" alt=\"addicted to love\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-Shllugkc4W4-unsplash-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-Shllugkc4W4-unsplash-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-Shllugkc4W4-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-136968\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by Kelly Sikkema for Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>You might fall under several categories of love addiction, or go through phases<\/strong> where you are more one type than the other. They are categories that exist as guidelines, so that you and your<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/types-of-therapists.htm\"> mental health practitioner<\/a> can understand and talk about your struggles.<\/span><span style=\"color: #333399;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Romance addiction\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #666699;\">Romance addiction can happen even if we are always single. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>If you are a &#8216;romance addict&#8217; you are consumed by ideas of epic,<\/strong> fairy tale love. It&#8217;s the <em>sensation of being in love<\/em> you are hooked on. At the root here can be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/live-life-like-victim-12-ways-tell.htm\">victimhood<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/cinderella-complex.htm\">a desire to be saved<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Romance addiction can lead to being increasingly out of touch with real life.<\/strong> You might think someone likes you and create an entire romantic scenario you tell others&#8230; even if the other person only said hi to you once or twice. At worst, you might even start to stalk someone.<\/p>\n<h4>Symptoms of romance addiction can include:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>constantly distracted by romantic fantasies<\/li>\n<li>saying no to social events to stay in and read romantic books\/watch romantic films<\/li>\n<li>never having real relationships as you are waiting for your prince\/princess<\/li>\n<li>reading too much into things (he looked at you so he is in love with you)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/different-types-of-ocd.htm\">obsessing<\/a> over someone, such as social media stalking, going where you hope they will be<\/li>\n<li>overinflated ideas of any real interactions<\/li>\n<li>lack of discernment when it comes to romantic involvement (affairs at work or with married people etc).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">People addiction<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>People addiction goes far beyond love and romance. <\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">We think we &#8220;need&#8221; a person in our life, no matter what, and are willing to suffer to have it be so. The addiction here can actually be to the pain itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>At its worst, people addiction can lead to<\/strong> stalking someone, being arrested for harassment, or actually harming or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/causes-of-violence-how-to-respond.htm\">assaulting the object of your affection<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Symptoms of people addiction can include:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-stop-thinking-about-someone.htm\">thinking about the other person all the time<\/a><\/li>\n<li>denying your own needs to be around a person<\/li>\n<li>being terrified of losing touch of the person<\/li>\n<li>staying with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/emotionally-abusive-relationships.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">someone who is abusive<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li>believing the other person is your &#8216;fate&#8217;, or that you will be &#8216;lost&#8217; or &#8216;nothing&#8217; without them<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-texting.htm\">out of control texting<\/a>\/calling\/social media stalking<\/li>\n<li>wanting to know where to other person is all the time<\/li>\n<li>extreme <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/jealousy-head.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">jealousy<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-paranoia.htm\">paranoia<\/a> when they talk to others<\/li>\n<li>engaging in crazy behaviours to get the other person&#8217;s attention or keep tabs on them, such as creating false social media profiles, breaking into their emails, waiting outside their house, and hanging out where they go.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Sex addiction<\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_82590\" style=\"width: 275px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82590\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2849074104_b8b908962d-265x400.jpg\" alt=\"addicted to love\" width=\"265\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2849074104_b8b908962d-265x400.jpg 265w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/2849074104_b8b908962d.jpg 331w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82590\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rachelkramerbussel\/2849074104\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Rachel Kramer Bussel<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/sex-addiction-counselling.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Sex addiction<\/span><\/a> involves obsessively thinking about sex, and<\/strong> seeking sexual gratification\u00a0in ways that have negative consequences.<\/p>\n<p><strong>At its root is a need to<\/strong> escape. That could be a desire to escape a life you hate, or escape <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shame-definition.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">deep-rooted shame<\/span><\/a> from past events. It can also be about avoiding\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/self-esteem-help-guide.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">low self-esteem<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-overcome-loneliness.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">loneliness<\/span><\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/repressed-anger.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">repressed anger<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The idea that a sex addict is only someone having many wild affairs is just a clich\u00e9. <strong>Many sex addicts have very little if any &#8216;real&#8217; sex, but are hooked into <\/strong>a cycle of self-pleasuring, using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-pornography.htm\">porn sites<\/a>, etc.<\/p>\n<h4>Symptoms of sex addiction can include:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>thinking about sex all the time, to the point you are always distracted and underperforming in career, family life etc.<\/li>\n<li>having many sexual behaviours\/thoughts that are secret<\/li>\n<li>feeling &#8216;high&#8217; when you engage in these sexual thoughts\/behaviours, then &#8216;low&#8217; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shame-definition.htm\">full of shame<\/a> soon after<\/li>\n<li>risky sexual behaviour such as unprotected sex, sex with inappropriate people like your boss\/friend&#8217;s partner, and sex in public places<\/li>\n<li>always looking for sexual opportunity\/ seeing others as a conquest<\/li>\n<li>risky workplace behaviour such as looking at inappropriate material online or sexual innuendo with colleagues<\/li>\n<li>saying no to social events to stay at home and watch porn\/read erotica\/ self pleasure, etcetera<\/li>\n<li>sabotaging <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/get-closer-intimacy-issues.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">real connections<\/span><\/a> and relationships because of your need for sexual risk, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/why-people-cheat-on-partners.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">cheating on partners<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or lying to them about your sexual habits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Is it really a big deal if I am a type of love addict?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Over the long-term these addictions can lead to the same kind of outcomes as<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/club-drugs-and-therapy.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">drug addiction<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/drinking-too-much-alcohol.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">alcoholism<\/span><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/online-gambling-addiction.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">gambling<\/span><\/a>. Addictions control you, you don&#8217;t control them. They can distract you to the point you might<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/unemployment-improving-self-esteem.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> lose your job<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-feel-so-alone.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">lose your friends<\/span><\/a>, and sabotage your family relationships and all you hold dear.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Even the best case scenario sees love addiction involves a crippling feeling of being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/cbt-dysfunctional-behaviour.htm\">trapped by your own behaviours<\/a>. And of course there is the <a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/7-surprising-reasons-feeling-lonely.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">loneliness<\/span><\/a>, self-hatred, and shame that addiction brings.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Treatment for love and romance addiction<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Like any form of addiction, the best thing we can do is<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/reaching-out-support.htm\"> seek support<\/a>. This might start by reaching out to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-find-friends.htm\">a good friend<\/a> you are sure you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-trust.htm\">trust<\/a>. You might also want to read some books on love and romance addiction, as well as learn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/authentic-relationships.htm\">what healthy love actually is<\/a>. Or join forums where you can learn to talk honestly about your behaviours but retain your privacy. And you can always try a twelve steps group such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slaauk.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA),<\/a> who holds groups worldwide.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Professional support<\/strong> is of course highly recommended. This might look like a support group led by a trained counsellor, or one-on-one work with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/difference-between-psychotherapy-and-counselling.htm\">psychotherapist<\/a> who has experience working with love and romance addiction. They will help you recognise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/love-vs-limerence.htm\">what other things you have been mistaking for love<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/love-or-infatuation.htm\">what love really is<\/a>, and how you can get such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/quiz-healthy-destructive-relationship\">healthy love<\/a> in your life.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Addicted to love? Harley Therapy connects you with highly <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/relationship-counselling-london.htm#view-therapist\">experienced love and romance therapists<\/a><\/span> in several London locations. Not in London? Our therapy listings site puts you in touch with UK-wide registered<a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/therapists?specialism=addiction%7Clove_and_romance\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"> love addiction therapists<\/span><\/a> who can help.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-117271 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-397x400.png\" alt=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" width=\"120\" height=\"121\" \/>Andrea M. Darcy is a health and wellbeing writer with counselling training who has written many popular pieces about love and dating. And at one point she ran a dating detox course! Find her on Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/am_darcy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@am_darcy\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Andrea M. Darcy Love is certainly a vast concept, and researchers have not been able to come up with an exact criteria for &#8216;love addiction&#8217; that would make it something you could be diagnosed with by a doctor. But at the same time,\u00a0the research shows that symptoms in those with forms of love dependency [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":136967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[91,6],"tags":[92,390,379],"class_list":["post-82293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-addiction","category-relationships","tag-addiction-2","tag-love-addiction","tag-relationships","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have &#039;Romance Addiction&#039;? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you addicted to love? Love addiction can manifest in different ways, and you can be entirely single and still a love addict. Is this you?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have &#039;Romance Addiction&#039;?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you addicted to love? Love addiction can manifest in different ways, and you can be entirely single and still a love addict. Is this you?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-14T11:00:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-19T13:02:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"910\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreaMDarcy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HarleyTherapy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm\",\"name\":\"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have 'Romance Addiction'? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-14T11:00:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-19T13:02:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"Are you addicted to love? Love addiction can manifest in different ways, and you can be entirely single and still a love addict. Is this you?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg\",\"width\":709,\"height\":910,\"caption\":\"photo by Amel Uzonovic for Pexels\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/addicted-to-love.htm#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have &#8216;Romance Addiction&#8217;?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"description\":\"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\",\"alternateName\":\"Harley Therapy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/images\\\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/harleytherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/HarleyTherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/harley-therapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/HarleyTherapyCoUk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/harleytherapy\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.trustpilot.com\\\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.reviews.co.uk\\\/company-reviews\\\/store\\\/harleytherapy-co-uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.crunchbase.com\\\/organization\\\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have 'Romance Addiction'? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Are you addicted to love? Love addiction can manifest in different ways, and you can be entirely single and still a love addict. Is this you?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have 'Romance Addiction'?","og_description":"Are you addicted to love? Love addiction can manifest in different ways, and you can be entirely single and still a love addict. Is this you?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm","og_site_name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","article_published_time":"2023-02-14T11:00:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-19T13:02:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":709,"height":910,"url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andrea M. Darcy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreaMDarcy","twitter_site":"@HarleyTherapy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrea M. Darcy","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm","name":"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have 'Romance Addiction'? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg","datePublished":"2023-02-14T11:00:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-19T13:02:37+00:00","description":"Are you addicted to love? Love addiction can manifest in different ways, and you can be entirely single and still a love addict. Is this you?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg","width":709,"height":910,"caption":"photo by Amel Uzonovic for Pexels"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/addicted-to-love.htm#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can You be Addicted to Love? Or Have &#8216;Romance Addiction&#8217;?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization","name":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling","alternateName":"Harley Therapy","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/images\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","https:\/\/x.com\/HarleyTherapy","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/harley-therapy","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/HarleyTherapyCoUk","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harleytherapy\/","https:\/\/uk.trustpilot.com\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk","https:\/\/www.reviews.co.uk\/company-reviews\/store\/harleytherapy-co-uk","https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling"]}]}},"modified_by":"Marvee Franco","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg",709,910,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-312x400.jpg",312,400,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg",709,910,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-467x600.jpg",467,600,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg",709,910,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850.jpg",709,910,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"featured":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"related":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-180x120.jpg",180,120,true],"widgetthumb":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-50x50.jpg",50,50,true],"slider":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-amel-uzunovic-15409850-600x200.jpg",600,200,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Andrea M. Darcy","author_link":"#"},"uagb_comment_info":4,"uagb_excerpt":"by Andrea M. Darcy Love is certainly a vast concept, and researchers have not been able to come up with an exact criteria for &#8216;love addiction&#8217; that would make it something you could be diagnosed with by a doctor. But at the same time,\u00a0the research shows that symptoms in those with forms of love dependency&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82293"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138034,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82293\/revisions\/138034"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}