The Dance of Intimacy: 5 Key Steps for a Closer Relationship

A loving connection is the bedrock of a committed relationship—all couples are trying to find ways to remain emotionally close to one another as they navigate the complexities of life. When people feel deeply connected to their partners, they often describe feeling “complete,” “whole” or fully “understood” by their partners. This is one of [...]

Relationship Basics: Have Your Forgotten the Fundamentals of a Great Relationship?

  You often hear struggling athletes say that they have to “go back to basics.” After years of repetition, it’s easy to lose sight of the fundamentals they need to stay on top of their game. Often they need an outsider’s perspective (i.e., a coach) to help them determine which fundamentals they’ve been [...]

How to Deepen Intimacy Through the Power of Empathic Listening

“I hate having to compete with the TV or computer for my husband’s attention. He used to be such a wonderful listener. I feel like I’m not important enough to him anymore.” ~Jennifer “It’s really frustrating. I’ll tell my girlfriend something and by the next day, she’s forgotten what I said. I’ve given up [...]

A Simple Formula to Keep Love and Intimacy Alive

I bet if I asked you what you had for breakfast this morning, you’d have a concrete answer. (Even if the answer is “Black coffee” or “Didn’t have time.”) But how about if I ask you to recall something arguably more important than a single morning meal? Let’s see how you fare: [...]

Intimacy 101: Uncover the Hidden Rules That Run Your Relationship

No matter how we might resist them at times, we can’t deny the presence of rules in society. From traffic lights to ticket sales, rules help us avoid chaos and establish routines that allow us to cope as a society. But beyond the macrocosm, rules are an important presence in the microcosm of your [...]

The Ultimate Holiday Gift: Nurture your marriage this holiday season

If it’s the season to be jolly… …then why am I seeing so many stressed, beleaguered couples walking around? Is it more apt to say, ‘Tis the season to feel tense, frustrated and constantly on the go?  Whether you’re feeling totally overwhelmed or slightly frustrated, it’s easy to lose perspective about what’s most important [...]

Relationship First Aid: How to Heal a Fear of Intimacy

Intimacy is a lot like trying to get warm on a cold winter night. You wrap yourself up in your favorite blankets and settle in for sleep, but at some point overnight you may feel too warm and constrained by the blankets. So you disentangle yourself and push the blankets away. But after a [...]

Tell Me No Lies: 7 Reasons Why you Might Lie to your Partner

In the workshops I conduct for couples, I often ask if anyone has ever lied to their partner (the couples respond anonymously). Usually more than half (sometimes as many as 90%) admit to having lied to their spouse or partner at some point. More than half the people who said they lied to [...]

Marriage help: Bring intimacy back into your marriage

Couples often seek out my relationship help or marriage advice because of difficulties with intimacy—they no longer feel a deep emotional connection with their spouse/partner. Why are so many couples struggling with emotional intimacy? In order to experience the gifts of emotional intimacy, you need to share the deepest parts of yourself with your [...]

Intimacy 101: is This Intimacy or Dependency?

  Couples often seek marriage counseling because of difficulties with intimacy. Why are so many couples struggling with intimacy? In order to fully connect with your spouse/partner, you need to share the deepest parts of yourself while maintaining a separate sense of self. This balancing act isn’t always easy and there may be [...]

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