Stan Tatkin has created a courtship analogy using rockets. It has three stages, beginning at the rocket booster and moving up to the tip, in which the courtship is on its way to a mature and loving relationship. The booster phase is the drug phase, where both partners are high on dopamine, noradrenaline, oxytocin, vasopressin, and testosterone, among others. Nature also assists in the brain’s excitement by the novelty of the relationship and the process of positive projection. Once nature calms down, the second phase of courting begins. If the courtship continues, it continues with the default attachment expectations of each person, which may not necessarily be positive.
Read the full article here: Partnering Up: Falling from Space (or Grace)
