Relationship Quandaries
What happened to the spark?
I listened to an NPR broadcast recently that was about marriage and it's questionable value for women. There was a lot of discussion about the "spark" dying out in relationships, and whether that meant it was time to move on, or if couples should still stay together. I felt a giant piece was missing. There was no mention about where the "spark" went when it disappeared, and how or why this happens. Read more
Are you in a cross-cultural relationship?
How do we define “cross-cultural”? Does that mean we come from different cultures? Or could it be our families came from different countries?
What is a culture? I would define a culture, as would many family therapists, as the environment in which we grew up.
I would define a culture, as would many family therapists, as the environment in which we grew up. Each family has its own culture developed from many sources and influences. Read more
Texting: Our Great New Communication Tool Or…..How to ruin your relationship.
We all have a “soapbox” from which to preach about our pet peeve, and this is mine:
I can’t count how many couples have arrived at my office in an argument over a text “conversation”.
Besides the obvious problem of incomplete thoughts expressed in abbreviated text, the biggest missing “pieces” are... Read more
Pop Quiz: Your Relationship Snapshot
Take a picture of your relationship. What does it look like in this minute?
Have you reached out to your partner today? Sharing a kiss? A smile? A word of endearment? A wink?
According to Atsushi Senju, a cognitive neuroscientist who studies the biological and cultural aspects of eye contact... Read More
It’s not that she’s not getting to the point, it’s that he doesn’t get the point!
Would you like your partner to learn to listen to you???
Men talk to their partners to convey information. Women talk to their partners to connect with them emotionally.
The more detail women go into with their male partners, the closer they feel. But, the more detail they go into, the more annoyed their men might feel....
We don't talk, we're married!
I was waiting in line at my local coffee house recently, when I overheard a woman say to her friend: “We don’t talk, we’re married.”
I chuckled to myself, but was stunned. Really, she and her husband don’t talk to each other? Read More
The Art of Intimate Conversation
In an interview on Ventura California's Cable Television station, Glori Zeltzer and Leon Berg discuss what they have found to be an effective communication strategy that helps to bring the Art of Intimate Conversation into the lives of couples. View now: http://ourventura.com/art-intimate-conversation/
Mirror Mirror On the Wall...
Although Walt Disney would have us believe that marriage is a perfect harmonious union of bliss, it is not usually a blissful experience. Being in an honest, sincere, and committed relationship helps you to become a better version of yourself. You have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone... Read More