What happens when conflict is never actually addressed — only ignored until enough time passes that someone hopes it will simply disappear?

In this powerful episode of The Learning Love Podcast, Dr. Mark A. Hicks explores one of the most common patterns in emotionally unhealthy and dysfunctional relationships: avoiding responsibility while expecting time alone to heal the damage.

Rather than taking meaningful action to repair trust, communicate honestly, apologize, seek understanding, or pursue reconciliation, some people simply wait. Then, when the pain resurfaces, they point to the calendar instead of their actions:

“It’s been six months.”

“It’s been years.”

“You’d think they’d be over it by now.”

But time passing is not the same thing as healing. Silence is not repair. Distance is not resolution.  ...