A karmic relationship is one believed to exist so that two people can work through something unresolved, a lesson or pattern from this life or a past one. These relationships are usually described as difficult or repetitive, such as the same fight or the same hurt playing out again and again, rather than easy.

The belief is that once the lesson is learned, the intensity fades or the relationship naturally ends. It's easy to confuse it with a twin flame connection, but a karmic relationship is generally seen as a phase to move through, not a lasting bond.