Hey, Stefan. I've been stuck in about the same place with respect to relationships and intimacy for as long as I can remember. To give you some background, I grew up in an evangelical Christian household where relationships, sex, and intimacy were an awkward subject for both of my parents. I didn't receive any meaningful guidance for them on how to attract slash relate to women,

and I ended up believing that the one for me would just sort of fall into my lap organically someday.

Long story short, I developed a crippling anxiety around talking to women

and didn't go on a single date until I sought out therapy in college at age 19.

This led to a handful of dates at age of 19 to 20 in one makeout session, which is to this

day the only intimacy I've experienced with a woman. I'm moving to a woman from my hometown around

that time and failed to carry forward on the momentum I gained in therapy, only going on one date

in the past eight years. I went to different therapists off and on during my 20s and finally found one that I clicked with two years ago, which has helped me overcome a lot of my anxiety around carrying on conversations with women. When an opportunity arises, I don't find it too difficult to carry on a conversation and get a phone number, but it hasn't led to any more dates so far. On the surface, I have a lot of the traits that wouldn't find attractive.

I'm tall and well-built, handsome enough, self-employed in a lucrative career that I love,

above-average intelligence, and have plenty of hobbies. To me, the fact that I haven't had any

success in finding a relationship or even going on dates means that I don't have sufficient

opportunities and or that there's something below the surface

level that would repel women, even if I had plenty of opportunities.

I'm just a bit lost on how to proceed from here, especially over the last couple of years.

I've started to feel like I'm on a hamster wheel working just so I can keep working.

It's embarrassing to be almost a 30-year-old virgin with essentially no dating history, and I know that it won't get worse as time goes on.

Just writing that last sentence makes me feel a little bit panic.

Yeah, that's about it.

Yeah, it's not a bad time to panic.

I can understand that, and I can sympathize with that, and I'm sure we can do some useful stuff.

So do you want to start with childhood?

Do you want to, how long have you been listening to what I do?

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