Phantom bond

Phantom Bond , by psychologist and Casa do Saber professor Tatiana Paranaguá, unravels the mysteries behind modern volatile bonds, through accessible language and everyday stories.

Knowing whether your partner is emotionally committed to the relationship, especially when it's new, can be challenging. Many believe they're secure in their relationship, only to be surprised by their loved one's sudden disappearance, which can lead to devastating feelings of guilt and emptiness.

Nowadays, it's increasingly common to come across reports of relationships ending without any explanation, leaving the person experiencing abandonment with profound psychological scars. These so-called "ghosts," when they notice an increase in closeness and intimacy, disappear without giving any sign, often blaming the victim for a possible breakdown in communication.

The concept of the phantom bond exemplifies the phenomenon that is gaining more and more strength in today's society, the so-called "epidemic of immaturity", that is, the reduction of relationships to mere childish experiences, in which people run away from responsibilities the moment they become concrete and, consequently, end up leaving a trail of disappointment, guilt and frustrations wherever they go.

Tatiana Paranaguá, a master's student in Clinical Psychology at PUC-Rio, where she was a faculty member for seventeen years, and a professor at Casa do Saber, unravels the modern figure of the ghost—the individual who doesn't settle down and is always searching for a new experience—through everyday cases and analytical psychology, with accessible language and practical guidelines that help us understand the complexity of human relationships and the importance of empathy and dialogue in building healthy, lasting bonds.