The Masculine Psyche

Last year in Avalon, I had the great pleasure of spending time with Jonathan and his wife Sarah as they embarked on a journey of renewing their vows through the sacred art of anointing with the holy oils. It was one of the most moving experiences I’ve curated and focalized as a ceremonialist. I was deeply touched by Jonathan’s ability to enter into deep sacred relationship with the holy oils, and I knew then that I wanted to interview him about masculinity and how to support healing between men and women. 

In this beautiful deep-dive dialogue, Jonathan shares some of the inner workings of the masculine psyche and some of the ways men interpret the things they hear from their partners. Translation can be a real issue!

What I loved most about this interview was hearing about how Jonathan resisted coming into doing his own work, and how this shifted for him. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times – women on a spiritual path really want their men to do it with them. Yet, they often don’t know how to invite them to engage in deeper transformational work. 

In this episode, we explore: 

• Challenges men face in expressing emotions and connecting deeply in relationships
• How men are often socialized to suppress emotions and focus on being providers rather than emotional connectors
• How women can encourage their male partners to do personal growth work without forcing it
• Differences in communication styles and needs between men and women in relationships
• How to make clear requests and then step back to help men feel empowered to respond
• Why men may fear failure or disappointment and how this causes them to put less effort into their relationships
• Recognizing and appreciating subtle expressions of vulnerability from men
• The importance of understanding each other’s “love languages” in a relationship

Dr. Jonathan Brajtbord is a Urologist, integrative physician, men’s lifestyle expert, and devoted husband and father. As a Urologist at Greater Boston Urology, he specializes in a variety of urological conditions including men’s health, erectile dysfunction, voiding dysfunction, and urologic cancers. Through his integrative approach, he combines nutrition, lifestyle, emotional health, and supplements with surgery and pharmaceutical management.

As a physician, Jonathan sees countless men in his practice who experience manifestations of their fears, stress, anxiety, marital, and professional issues. Developing a deeper understanding of the physiology of our emotions and how that affects the body, combined with lessons learned on his own path of personal development, led him to create his signature program – Men’s Work: Innerwork for Professional Men and host in-person Masculine Embodiment retreats.

These programs are designed to provide men the foundation to look at their own life and create fundamental practices to begin to shift and create massive change. The Men’s Work community is a place for men who are new to inner work to go and get advice, support, and begin to make substantive and real changes in their lives.

Jonathan is of the firm belief that men can grow and change within the context and foundation of the life they have created. It just takes commitment, creativity, and a shifting of priorities.