Couples therapy is a common mediator in solving issues in relationships and overcoming challenges. Both partners can move past the sticking points and obstacles in the repair process if they follow the therapist’s advice. Many couples face specific problems throughout their relationship but have faith that there are solutions to most of them if you are willing to work at it.
If you want to know if counseling is needed for your marriage or relationship, it’s crucial that you recognize the main issues you’re struggling with and take the time to address each of them.
This article will discuss the common problems couples counseling can solve and help you achieve the best version of yourselves.
Infidelity
Affairs and infidelity impose a great toll on every relationship, however, there are ways to intervene or repair the broken trust to some point. What’s relevant in this case is to acknowledge the underlying cause and root of your problems and behavior, so you can take the next steps in the healing process.
Couples therapy helps achieve honest communication and allows for a safe relationship environment in the following period. When the cause for the infidelity has been identified, healing and the rebuilding of trust can take place in your relationship. At first, this can seem like too much work or may feel like an overwhelming experience, but this is where professional help is essential to help you through it.
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Emotional Needs
Emotional needs like caring, love, attention, and all of the little things you do for your partner can be acknowledged and met. These needs are met when your partner provides you a feeling of security, comfort, understanding, empathy, and a safe place.
If you feel like your partner is becoming distant and doesn’t share intimate details, or even keeps secrets, it can be a sign that your relationship needs couples counseling. You may feel less intimate and alone, even if your partner is lying next to you.
Sometimes you’ll feel like the relationship is going to a dead-end and that you don’t understand each other like before. Couples counseling can help identify your partner’s emotional needs and ensure they are met… or at least most of them.
Trauma
Life events can be traumatic sometimes and result in struggles, with symptoms of trauma displaying themselves through PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and more. You might be struggling to bring peace back into your life and your partner might not know how to help you or how to behave around you.
And that’s completely understandable and normal since it’s a common problem in such relationships. You can help your partner to endure the daily battles by communicating better and alleviating the stress indicators and the root of conflicts by understanding them, being patient, and comforting. And just by being there when your partner needs you the most. Therapy can help you to build the supportive techniques and patterns needed to best help your partner during these challenging times.
Intimacy Problems
Every relationship struggles with intimacy problems at some point. You may feel like you are not close enough with your partner or like the bond is weaker than usual. The loss of connection may result in intimacy issues since intimacy is crucial in a romantic relationship.
The desire to feel connected and close to your partner might reduce over time, and you might find yourself questioning the reasons you fell in love with this person. Seeking therapy will help you overcome such issues and guide you on the right track in your love journey.
Negative Communication
Negative communication can be a relationship-wrecker. It can include harmful words, negative behavior, and feelings of depression, insecurity and disregard. The partner can feel your negative behavior from the tone of your voice, and from your nonverbal ways of communicating like not paying attention when he/she is speaking or scrolling through your phone while at dinner.
According to the studies by Dr. John Gottman, there are four deadly ways of communicating with your partner that can destroy your relationship. These ways are called the Four Horsemen of the Relationship Apocalypse and include criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
- Criticism – it’s often when the partner is complaining about anything.
- Contempt – you may find yourself mocking, disrespecting, or ridiculing your partner, or feeling like your partner is doing that to you.
- Defensiveness – a response to criticism when one of the partners feels unjustly accused and plays an innocent victim.
- Stonewalling – a response to contempt that results in shutting down communication with your partner, withdrawing from communication and interaction, or stopping responding
One way of dealing with the Horsemen Apocalypse is to make a ritual and have an activity together every day. It can be in the morning, you can drink a cup of coffee together, or spend a couple of minutes every evening talking about how your day went.
Start Couples Therapy Today!
If you feel like your relationship is on the rocks, maybe it’s time you start visiting a couple of counselors. You can avoid many potential problems and issues that might destroy your marriage or relationship.
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