Unhappy Marriage

Negative Emotion Pollutes the Atmosphere of A Relationship

By Mary Ellen Goggin / August 24, 2018

Couples always ask us to teach them communication skills. Usually they are having trouble understanding where their partners are coming from. Their communication breaks down quickly when the broach a topic they disagree about. They cannot understand how they get caught in what we call “the 0-60 ramp up phenomenon”: it takes a minute to…

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20 Tell Tale Signs Your Relationship Is at Risk for an Affair.

By Jerry / January 28, 2018

How do you know if you’re at risk of having an affair? Are there certain signposts? Do you find yourself considering the possibility? There is no single cause that leads people to infidelity. Each person has his or her own psychology and motivations. What drives one individual into a high risk situation will lead another…

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Help! I Fall for Guys Who Want a Mother

By Jerry / January 28, 2018

 Peggy came into her session looking distraught.  “There must be a screw loose in my head or I’m just not that bright when it comes to men. You would think that I would learn, but no matter how hard I try to select carefully, I end up with guys who want someone to take charge…

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Do Your In-Laws Make You Crazy?

By Jerry / January 7, 2018

In the thrall of new love’s glow you may have minimized your partner’s expectation for you to have a congenial relationship with your in-laws. In fact, you may not have fully understood that a relationship forms an alliance between two families― each of which has its own cast of quirky, idiosyncratic characters.

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How to Fix Your Unhappy Marriage Relationship After Infatuation Fades

By Jerry / March 18, 2017

Married friends often commonly complain about the loss of sizzle and ensuing staleness and boredom that creeps into their marriage relationship. They are afraid they can’t fix their unhappy marriage relationship after the infatuation ends. Couples reminisce about how they felt when they fell in love, describing fireworks, shaking earth, clammy hands, flushed cheeks, unbearable…

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Does Your Relationship Meet Your Needs?

By Jerry / March 7, 2013

What’s in it for me? Tell me…

This question might strike you as the epitome of selfishness. You might just want to chalk it up to the narcissistic culture which surrounds us. What’s in it for mecertainly lacks any sense of poetry, romance or selflessness.
Is there a righteous place in modern relationships for this line of inquiry?

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13 Signs Your Relationship Is in Trouble

By Jerry / October 30, 2012

Your relationship is always changing in perceptible and imperceptible ways. Even the most rock solid ones are in a state of flux. Like nature, relationships have seasons and rhythms. But within each “season”, couples build stronger unions or drift apart. Your thoughts, words, attitudes and behaviors dictate the direction . You can choose to move toward more intimacy and closeness or away toward isolation and alienation.

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Can a Sexless Marriage Thrive?

By Jerry / October 30, 2012

Can a Sexless Relationship Thrive? Richard, a 40 year old client told me recently, “I’ve been married for nine years. My wife, Diane, means everything to me. I love her dearly. She is a great partner and companion. We‘ve created a wonderful life together. I know it may be weird, but we don’t have sex.…

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