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Doubling is when the therapist speaks as if he/she was one of the partners in the collaborative therapy speaking to the other partner. Doubling often works subtly, this article using an example of a therapist setting a scene for a client by repeating what they said, using the personal pronoun “I.” As in, “You’re saying, […]

Jealousy is a common occurrence in close relationships. Things ranging from glances to the suspicion that interactions between your partner and others have deeper meanings than common courtesy demands, can raise jealousy, but more often than not people are able to bury those suspicions and trust that their partners are faithful. Extreme or “morbid” jealousy

This article was prompted by the responses that Jennifer Kromberg received to a previous article, Part 1 of the same name. Many responders were worried about the news of how women’s relationships might be affected by early childhood imprints, and many readers found themselves interested in how they might break any unwanted imprints they may

The three words are, “You’re being defensive.” While it may be true when you say it, odds are that this declaration will not immediately make the other person want to reevaluate their position and open themselves to criticism. In fact, a person is more likely than before to start being defensive once they’ve been accused

Researchers at the University of Arizona have recently published a new study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships which studied the sex difference in communication styles between heterosexual couples. It’s findings confirmed an earlier study by Neil Warner which suggested that appeasement by the male does not lead to a peaceful relationship. Warner’s

Sarah Holley led a study at San Francisco State University that checked in with middle-aged and older couples three times a year over the course of thirteen years with the intent of recording how they dealt with conflict. The study was interested in all kinds of conflict, from housework to finances. The couples were also

Dr. Lisa Firestone advises that much of what goes wrong in a relationship has to deal with what is going on in our own minds. She writes that throughout our lives, the only person we can hope to fully change or develop is ourselves. This means that while it may seem like a good idea

This article is a response by Dr. Susan Heitler to a paragraph within another article by psychologist Harriet Lerner. The troublesome paragraph includes a piece of conventional wisdom, particularly that all couples fight, that Heitler found bothersome because her belief is that the saying is not only wrong, but lowers the bar for a couple’s

This article begins with the premise that words are indeed powerful. It attributes to words the power to hurt, heal, inspire, and control a person. With this attention and respect given to words, Julie Orlov presents five words that can end a marriage if used often enough. The first word of negative power is “Never.”

Marriage can be an incredibly exciting experience. It can be a joining of two best friends and lovers in a relationship of incredible love, joy, and passion that can feed the spirit and grow the heart. This kind of love takes courage, however. Not only that, it takes purposeful action. This kind of relationship can’t