New Delhi, Jan. 28 -- A 40-year-old client in a therapy session talks about people saying all the right things, but when it's time to act or show up, they fall short. She says, "I've started to feel frustrated both with my family and some of my friendships as I always seem to be the one taking the initiative and giving my time and energy. I'm tired and beginning to feel disillusioned."

What the client is discussing reflects a pattern that has repeatedly surfaced in sessions over the past year. Clients across gender and age talk about the absence of reciprocity in intimate relationships. At a larger level, this ongoing theme is a reminder that we are falling into what can be called a "relationship recession".

Whether it's in therapy sess...