Marriage
If a confidential survey asked, “Are you in a happy marriage?” would you have an immediate answer? What if it asked, “Are you in an unhappy marriage?” Would you be able to answer “yes” or “no” confidently…and explain your answers? Sometimes the middle ground sounds something like, “Sure, we’re happy….Well, we’re not unnnhappy….” If you’re…
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Movies would have us believe that infidelity is best handled with clothes-burning and a martini to the face. Surviving infidelity in marriage is more dramatically portrayed as “surviving infidelity by leaving marriage.” (Overplayed, of course, by Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”) Reality, however, plays out in a different kind of theater and isn’t always so…
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How can you fix an unhappy marriage if you don’t even feel any happiness worth fighting for? Unfortunately, most couples wait too long before getting help — an average of six years according to marriage expert John Gottman. By the time many couples find their way onto the therapist’s couch, they have already made up…
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Gratitude is a “relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.” When we perceive that others appreciate us, we value our relationship with them. Grateful couples feel more satisfied in their relationship and closer to each other. Moreover, grateful couples are more likely to stay in their relationships according to expert research.
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If you’re married, you know the value of knowing how to communicate with your spouse without fighting. Conflict is inevitable. The difference between happy and unhappy marriages often hinges on a couple’s ability to resolve conflict. You may wonder if you can fix an unhappy marriage when you can’t even stop fighting long enough to feel…
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Our words account for only a tiny percentage of communication. Messages are also communicated by body language, facial expression, vocal tone, and other qualities of voice. If your words do not match with the tone of your non-verbal communication, then you are sending a mixed message. Mixed messages pose a problem for the receiver, who gets confused and sometimes feels the need to ask for clarification. By learning how to communicate with clarity, you learn to align your words, vocal tone, facial expression, and body language. Alignment of all the elements of communication leads to more coherent communication and reduces confusion and friction in relationships.
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Have you ever noticed that some people in your life are direct, to the point and crystal clear about their opinions on a wide range of topics? They have a “direct” communication style. Other people use an indirect style. They spend more time developing their point and are afraid to create tension or discomfort, especially…
Read MoreSo what’s the problem? Sometimes a partner’s virtual relationships interfere with his real life relationship. Some male clients report a loss of sexual interest in, or even the ability to have sex with, their partners. They develop a preference for porn and masturbation. Men say solo gratification eliminates performance anxiety and the burden of pleasing or imposing on their partner. They no longer feel they must grovel or beg for sex. They’re freed up by these lusty, virtual women who make no demands, expect no emotional intimacy, and wreak animal sexuality.
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