We offer marriage communication therapy in our office and help couples that have been married for months or years to improve their relationship. Communication is foundational for any marriage relationship so if a couple is unable to effectively communicate, it is likely that this will negatively influence every area of their relationship. To prevent this from happening, visit our office for therapy.
Why do couples have communication challenges?
Ultimately, each person enters a marriage with their own unique life history. This history involves a family system that they are raised in with the expectations and communication styles that they have become accustomed to. Then, when getting married, couples must determine which communication style is the one that works within the relationship.
This is not always easy. For example, some households may be very quiet. In other words, everyone in the family may be used to internalizing how they feel. When that person marries someone who has come from a family that is loud and expressive, it may be quite challenging for them to communicate and to understand each other.
It is also important to understand that to communicate effectively with one another, a couple must establish a deeper level of trust. This is not as easy as it sounds. Both partners must trust that the other is going to be respectful and receptive to what their partner has to say. If one partner has the habit of shutting the other down, mocking, belittling etc., it can create a series of negative emotional interactions that make it impossible to communicate in a healthy way. Marriage communication therapy can help by teaching couples how to properly communicate and work to reverse some of the damage that may have been done by prior interactions.
Poor communication can be dangerous in a marriage
A famous researcher in human development, Dr. Gottman, observed how couples interacted over decades and found that there were several types of interactions that could predict if a couple is likely to get divorced. Among them is contempt. This is perhaps one of the most dangerous forms of communication because when one partner expresses contempt, it cannot only have a negative emotional impact but also impact their partner physically. Researchers found that contempt can lead to a negative relationship and poor health.
They also found that being overly critical in communication could be a precursor to divorce. The other two big risk factors are being defensive or stonewalling. Unfortunately, this type of presentation is all too common in many marriages. If it is common in yours, it is critical to seek marriage communication therapy to improve communication and establish a better relationship.
It is never too late to start communicating
We even help couples who have decided to separate, because developing communication skills can help to handle that transition as well.
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The couples' communication can influence whether they have a long-lasting healthy marriage or get a divorce. The power of communication cannot be understated. Knowing that, anyone who would like to improve their communication should call our office and schedule an appointment for marriage communication therapy.