Create Your Dream Relationship (or Close to It)
For 35 years, I have been treating couples, helping them to find the kind of relationship we all dream of – supportive, trusting, communicative, loving and respectful.
It is the relationship where partners really listen to each other and learn to not hurt each other. It is a fantasy for the many and a reality for the few.
Imagine you are one half of a couple, walking into my office for the first time. I am your marital therapist/psychologist.
You come in, hoping I will take your side and tell your partner or spouse that he/she is bad and must change.
Your partner comes in – with the very same wish and expectation.
The other spouse is the bad guy, at least in your mind. (That’s the way it is with most couples.)
You each want your partner to change so you can be happy. May be good for you in your mind, but that path will not get you to your fantasy relationship described above. No way! No how!
I have a long history of helping them to master the fantasy relationship above.
Choosing one partner as the good guy and another as the bad guy is not the way.
Instead, I have learned that I must get each of you to focus on and change your own part in the emotional Vicious Cycle between you.
What is the Vicious Emotional Cycle, you may be asking?
It is a cycle that I have found in every couple that has sat on my office couch asking for help over the last 35 years.
Here is how the Vicious Cycle Works
One person, Partner 1, does something to disappoint, hurt or disrespect the other partner.
The other person, Partner 2, protests, explains, tries to be better, or ignores the disrespect for a while. Then Partner 2 starts to get resentful. “Why is Partner 1 still treating me this way? I am good.”
Now, the next time Partner 1 acts in this disrespectful way, Partner 2 reacts in a way that makes Partner 1 feel disappointed, hurt or disrespected. Partner 1 reacts back.
These reactions are of two types: attack or withdraw. A reaction of “attack” means partners end up getting angry at each other, each one expecting the worst from their Partner.
A reaction of “withdraw” means one or both Partners avoid, walk away, cold shoulder or distance from the other.
Sometimes one Partner attacks and the other withdraws. Sometimes they both attack and then Withdraw. Over time, each Partner starts to predict what the other is going to do.
Each Partner focuses on the other Partner’s part, thinking something like: He/she is always attacking me. I feel disrespected. Or, he/she withdraws and doesn’t work things out. I feel hurt and disrespected.
Here is an example of the Vicious Emotional Cycle.
Read along and imagine your own relationship’s Vicious Cycle as you read. Most relationships have one.
Bette and Bob lived in the suburbs and had two boys, 8 and 6. Bob was in the financial industry and commuted. He worked hard and brought home over $400,000 per year.
What made Bob a high earner also contributed to his Wall Street narcissism. Thinking highly of himself, he was able to use his charisma to attract wealthy clients. They loved him.
One of his responsibilities was to keep his clients happy. And happy they were when he took them to strip clubs that also served gourmet meals.
The only person who wasn’t happy was his wife, Bette. Bob was never home to put the kids to sleep. She had all household and children responsibilities. And she found both marijuana and cocaine in his pockets.
Bette confronted Bob on his selfishness and his addictive behavior by getting very angry. After a while, when nothing changed, she withdrew from Bob and kept her pain, hurt and resentment bottled up within.
Soon, she was cold, distant, and very controlling around the house, as a way of protecting herself from hurt and to give herself some sense of power.
Once Bob started noticing Bette’s more controlling behavior, he attacked her in anger at being disrespected. Then he would withdraw even more. Finally, he went off and had an affair. Bette learned of the affair and the attacks and withdrawals became even more intense.
The Vicious Cycle was now at its tipping point. Get help or get a divorce!
Bob and Bette decided to get help. Once they sat on the couch, their agendas became clear.
Bette was outraged at how she was being treated and wanted Bob to change. Bob was outraged at how he was being treated and wanted Bette to change.
How Change Happened
I dashed their individual hopes, and began to point out their Vicious Cycle to them. Within a few sessions, they each began to recognize and say to each other: There is the Vicious Cycle again. We got triggered. Let’s STOP!
Once they each calmed down, they learned two important things: (1) To treat each other with significant respect, and (2) To talk out their needs, asking for what they each want and asking for collaboration and compromise.
As they learned these new skills of treating each other with respect and negotiating for collaboration and compromise, they started using them on each other.
STOPPING the old Vicious Cycle Patterns, and substituting patterns of respect and collaborative negotiations became more frequent. Over time, with a lot of forgiveness and understanding, Bette and Bob reached the fantasy relationship talked about.
Remember, change is not easy, but it can become easier when you learn how to change yourself inside and your partner does, too. That includes learning how to change inner beliefs, thoughts, and response patterns. It takes insight and lots of practice. Luckily, you can learn it once you commit to doing so – and you then learn how. (Extraordinary Self® courses help immerse you in meaningful change.)
What is going on in your relationship? Is it the fantasy relationship that you want or something else? Rate yourself below. If you don’t like your rating and want more from your relationship, you can find help by taking our course: Extraordinary Relationships and Win/Win Communication.
Take Our Relationships Assessment
with Personality Issues to Work On
Learn to Go from Dysfunctional Patterns to Healthy Patterns
Read about some common personality patterns thhat influence your relationship. Then rate yourself on this pattern on the left and your partner on the right. Later, look over your ratings and decide what you need to focus on changing.
From Blaming to Taking Responsibility for Your Own Part in the Problem
When you notice yourself Blaming, STOP and focus on your own contribution to the problem. Accept responsibility for your own part, learn from the experience and problem-solve how to handle the same situation better next time.
_________ Blaming _________
From Self-Attacking to Self-Soothing
When you notice yourself Self-Attacking, STOP and focus on your own self-value and soothe yourself with kind and loving words, like a nurturing parent. From there, focus on your contribution to the problem from the perspective of “There is no failure, only failure to learn.” Keep on focusing on what there is to learn until you feel satisfied that you can do things differently next time. Use mental rehearsal to practice new choices of thinking and behaving.
_________ Self-Attacking ________
From Focusing on the ‘I’ to Focusing on the ‘We’
Primary Relationships are about mutual respect, mutual caring and mutual need satisfaction through time. It is not just one person’s needs that need to be satisfied, it is both people’s needs that need to be satisfied. As you think of yourself and your own needs, ask yourself “ And what does my partner need in this situation?” Give to your partner when you can and be prepared to negotiate differences.
_________ Being Selfish _________
From Getting Angry and Attacking or Withdrawing When You Don’t Get Your Way to Negotiating Your Differences
Dumping anger, frustration and coldness into a relationship creates the Vicious Cycle. It usually means that people have not learned how to self-soothe when they don’t get what they want, and from there negotiate differences. First of all, recognize that you deserve to get a reasonable amount of your interpersonal needs met in the relationship. If you need your way too much, you are having issues with self-empowerment and need to learn to feel good without overpowering or controlling your partner. If you give in too much, you need self-empowerment; you need to learn how to assert yourself and get a reasonable amount of your needs met. Otherwise, why be in the relationship?
Once you get yourself into a self-soothing and self-empowering state, start to negotiate the differences. Before asking for what you want, or before asking the other person to do or not do something, validate them. They need validation and acknowledgement of their position in order to be open to hearing you. Validate and then state what you want and why it is important to you. Keep on finding out why their stand is important to them. Keep on discussing until you both see that one person’s need is clearly more important than the other’s.)
_________ Attack or Withdraw _________
From Frustration and Irritation to Gratefulness and Appreciation
A marriage is a long-term project. The more you focus on your own frustration and irritation, the more the marriage erodes. Everyday, tell yourself about what you have to be grateful for, in terms of your partner and your life. Express that appreciation to your partner daily. Keep your mind in the present, instead of sticking in the story of past irritation and frustration.
_________ Frustrated and Unappreciative _________
(Make a list of what is good in the marriage and what you do appreciate in your partner.)
From Holding On to the Past to Forgiveness and Moving On
We all do the best we can in any moment. When we grow and learn to think differently, enlarge our perspective and have more choices, we often look back at the past and are angry for our own choices and/or for the other’s choices. Staying angry does not allow any new interactions based on growth or for learning to take place. So it is best to forgive the past when you can and move on to new choices and a healthier relationship.
_________ Holding On to the Past_________
From Mind-Reading to Asking for What You Want
Often in a relationship, one or both parties will decide they know what the other is thinking. They will predict the other’s thoughts and behaviors and react in advance to them. That prediction and preparation is the brain’s way of taking shortcuts and using up less energy when responding. However, it does not allow for new patterns to emerge in a relationship. Stop mind-reading and start listening and looking for ways to influence these relationship patterns in new, more helpful directions.
_________ MindReading________
What Will Be Your Next Steps?
We hope this assessment was helpful to you in thinking through issues in your relationship. Almost everyone has a few. Need help to change your own patterns? That’s what Extraordinary Self e-courses and coaching are for. Learn why our courses work at: ExtraordinarySelf.com
Have questions? Contact us.