Navigating Jealousy in Open Relationships: What It Really Means

Jealousy is one of the most feared emotions in open and polyamorous relationships. Many people assume that if jealousy arises, it’s proof the relationship style isn’t working. In reality, jealousy is a normal and often valuable signal — but only if we learn how to work with it.

In couples therapy North Sydney and couples therapy North Shore, partners exploring open relationships often bring jealousy into the room, not to eliminate it, but to understand it more deeply.

What Jealousy Is (and Isn’t)

Jealousy isn’t always about your partner’s other relationships. More often, it’s about the stories your mind tells when you feel unsafe or unseen. For example:

• “If they desire someone else, maybe I’m not enough.”

• “If they’re investing elsewhere, I’ll be abandoned.”

• “If they’re excited about them, they’ll be less excited about me.”

When jealousy is treated as shameful, couples get stuck in silence, secrecy, or conflict. But when it’s explored with compassion, it can become an entry point to unmet needs.

Turning Jealousy Into Connection

In therapy, we often explore:

• Underlying needs. What reassurance or acknowledgment is missing?

• Nervous system responses. Is your body in fight, flight, or freeze when jealousy arises?

• Communication tools. How can you share jealousy vulnerably rather than reactively?

The goal isn’t to erase jealousy, but to use it as a doorway to deeper honesty.

Couples Therapy for Open Relationships in North Sydney and North Shore

At The Embodied Mind Collective, we support couples and polycules in navigating jealousy without shame. Couples therapy provides a safe space to slow down, name what’s happening, and build the emotional tools that make open relationships sustainable.

🌿 Learn more about our therapy space in North Sydney at www.theembodiedmind.com.au.