Having worked with couples for decades, I’ve heard my share of yelling and screaming in the office. And I’ve seen withdrawn and shut down partners, too. Emotional dysregulation, tempers, tears, attacks and deep hurt are all part and parcel of what can happen in marriage, typically between the third to seventh year.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the “tangled web” we weave, it’s this: the petty problems are usually much deeper than they seem. Financial challenges, differences in child-raising, establishing a workable division of labor, intimacy issues, and even planning a life together, all strike a nerve. And that makes it hard to talk things through.
At first, the problems show up as little things that cause impatience and irritability: the proverbial cap off of the toothpaste. An emotional insult that one person feels deeply and the other cannot see. And then, BOOM! You’re struggling with heavy stuff…
- Unresolved emotions
- Unmet needs
- Unfulfilled expectations
- Unspoken longings
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Talking about these things is hard. In this course, you’ll learn exactly why. And you will learn new ways to untangle the stories, gain objectivity, and find the tools to navigate these currents of emotion that threaten to drown the marriage.