E 270: Maybe You Brought the Ick Into The Relationship

Adult Child of Dysfunction · Feb 18, 2026 · 19m · transcript

As a follow-up to the recent episode with Bryan Power, this conversation looks at a familiar experience many people encounter in long-term relationships—often referred to as “the ick.” That subtle but persistent feeling of irritation, resentment, emotional distance, or shutdown can be unsettling and easy to misinterpret.

Rather than suggesting these feelings mean something is wrong with your partner or your relationship, this episode offers a different lens: the ick as a response from a dysregulated nervous system. When stress, emotional load, and unresolved experiences accumulate, the body…