02/06/2026
As an EMDR therapist who deeply believes in the power of the corrective emotional experience (CEE), I found myself wondering why I was so drawn to Heated Rivalry (beyond the obvious 😉), and why it was even better “reheated” the second time around.
What we’re witnessing collectively is the safety and adaptive processing of something that feels genuinely scary. Over and over, we’re finding comfort and support inside a situation that seems impossible, chaotic, and threatening. We’re being shown, again and again, that things can work out.
So the dopamine rush isn’t just about watching two beautiful men. It’s almost like we’re installing a new positive belief: maybe we can be safe/ happy/ ok when things seems scary or impossible.
And we experience this each time something we expect to go wrong in the show actually turns out OK. Shane’s parents, the whole Kip and Scott saga, and obviously Ilya and Shane for each other This hockey mom can go on and on swooning, but I love this explanation of the show as a representation of corrective experience and establishment of safety - if they can be ok, we can too and we love to see it. Let’s all tap that in and head to the cottage.
