Call Us Now: Welcome to our Couples’ Blog. Here we post occasional articles and practical exercises for couples who wish to improve their marriage or relationship. Look through the title and beginnings of articles below, and click any title to read them. Or scan the list of categories to find topics that interest you. You can also use the search box to find articles containing specific words. It’s good to know you’re not alone.
Couples’ BlogHow to Get the Most From Your Couples Therapy
Pete’s Interview – Stages of Relationships – Triggers
Thanks for your interest in my recent interview on NPR.
I hope you get some valuable insights for your relationship regarding:The stages of a relationship or marriage
Lies we tell our partners
Triggers we have that cause challenges in our relationshipsYou won't want to miss my impromptu session with a stranger where I walked a listener through a long time trigger that he had interacting with his partner. In less than ten minutes, he was able to begin feeling differently and break a pattern he has had for years (Listener Question 2 at about 36 minutes in).
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Podcast Highlights:
01:05 – Honeymoon Stage and Innocent Lies in the Beginning
05:40 – Avoiding the Truth
10:00 – Start to Work as a TEAM
10:45 – Partners on a Pedestal at the Beginning
11:30 – Tell Me No Lies
11:45 – Second Stage – Power Struggles
15:50 – Marriage is the only Non-Hierarchical Relationship there is.… Read more...Stress-Free Valentine’s Day
Less Stress & More Fun
Holidays can sometimes be stressful for couples—especially Valentine’s Day. One partner may be imagining something very specific to celebrate the day. The other partner may not have a clue of what that thing is. The result can be disappointment and confusion. Rather than hurt feelings and a Valentine’s Day gone sideways, take steps to create a relaxed and fun celebration with your beloved.
What Would Your Partner Like?
Take the stress out of Valentine’s Day by having a conversation about it. You can ask your sweetheart, “What do you think you might enjoy for Valentine’s Day?” Find out if they are hoping for a special gift.… Read more...The Cookie Jar Marriage The cookie jar is an interesting concept. It’s so much more than a storage container! It’s where kids head for an immediate snack when feeling down or to celebrate when feeling great. Know what? We never outgrow the lure of the cookie jar. Only now there are different kinds of cookies in the jar. Instead of chocolate chip cookies, there are different kinds of treats, a.k.a. immediate gratifications of primal desires. A grave digger’s perspective about one kind of marriage I used to be a grave digger. College summer job. No heavy equipment. Just two good shovels, pick axe, tape measure, string, and a tarp.
I wasn’t that philosophical then.
I could not have imagined that someday I’d see parallels between that and my current psychology practice specializing in couple’s therapy.
I’m talking about the price that some couples pay to keep the peace in their marriage. The slow, torturous death of continuous acquiescence.
Every couple knows it is important to compromise.
But what happens when conflict avoidant couples carry it too far?
What parts of their relationship get buried when they deny or distort their dreams?… Read more...Teamwork: From now on if someone calls me chicken . . . From now on if someone calls me “chicken,” I'll take that as a huge compliment.
For any person – especially a male – being called chicken is a searing insult. But not for me. Not anymore.
Not after what I witnessed. Here’s the back story.
It was a summer afternoon on my vacation in Kauai. I was on the patio feeding a mother hen and her five baby chicks bits of wheat bread. They run wild on the Hawaiian island and are protected by state law.
I got to the place where the baby chicks eagerly ate out of my hand.
Then I fed a chunk to Mama Hen and she dropped it on the ground. Immediately one of the chicks snatched it and ran off.… Read more...“I just want my partner to understand me.” In my practice, I hear many couples say, ” I just want my partner to understand me.
Who wouldn't want that? You tell your partner things, they truly get what you say and you feel understood. And vice versa: your partner shares their deepest feelings and thoughts with you, you receive what they say, and everyone in the end feels understood – and loved.
It doesn't always work that way though, does it?
In my practice I’ve noticed many reasons why couples don't feel they have the understanding relationship that they desire. Or, why they don't feel as understood as they wish they did.
I have also found a powerful shift in thinking that can change this.… Read more...Why couples therapy isn’t just for when things are going wrong Most people tend to associate couples therapy with intractable problems that they and their partner are struggling with. Couples usually wait until their situation has reached the breaking point before seeking couples therapy, often putting themselves through months or years of unnecessary disappointment, distress and destructive behavior.
As an experienced couples psychotherapist, I can say with confidence that much of the distress, heartbreak and breakdown in couples’ relationships could have been avoided with early intervention. Your couple relationship can harbor rich rewards for your mental and physical health, and significantly contribute to achievements and life satisfaction in both your personal and professional life.… Read more...Combat holiday stress with this brain hack It’s common knowledge that the holidays can be stressful for lots of people. Some of the stress comes from feeling overwhelmed by the added projects, tasks, expenses and other obligations of the season.
Perhaps you’re overwhelmed balancing expectations of different family members. Or you’re frustrated trying to make everyone happy.
Another kind of stress comes from other people in the extra social interactions and gatherings.
Maybe you’re caught off guard by zingers from a supporter of the “other” political party. Or you’re stuck in conversation with the brother-in-law who criticizes everybody for something – and you for everything.… Read more...Taking the stress out of holiday preparation
Sisyphus  from Greek mythology was condemned to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, getting close to the top only to see it rolling down again.
Does your holiday preparation feel like a similar fate?
For example, let's say you are hosting the happy event.
Let's assume the lion’s share of preparation has always fallen on you. Perhaps you have functioned like Sisyphus: every year you do most of the work, hoping your partner will step up and initiate more so you can enjoy the gathering. When that doesn’t happen, you feel depleted and angry. Like Sisyphus, you have been condemned to repeat the process.… Read more...Are your expectations for the holidays too high?Ah, Sisyphus, the legendary rock roller from Greek mythology. He was forever doomed to push the boulder up the mountain only to have it roll back. Again and again.
Sisyphus may have been the original example of insanity. You’ve probably heard that definition: insanity is doing the same darn thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
But you are different. Because you are going to stop pushing your rock this holiday season.
Here’s another rock so many people push. It’s the rock of unrealistic expectations.
Especially the expectations we place on others.
We hope our partner will finally give us the perfect gift, our adult siblings will refrain from teasing us at the dinner table, Uncle Al will stay sober through the evening, and that Mom and Dad will give us some unconditional acceptance.… Read more... | Couples NewsletterCouples’ Blog
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Couples are often uncertain what to expect from the process of couples therapy. They are not sure of what to expect of the therapist or even if the therapist has any expectations of them.
