In the previous post, I discussed the four horsemen of the apocalypse and how to defeat them. In this post, I want to talk about a related issue of stonewalling; emotional flooding. It is one of the biggest relationship challenges people struggle with. Like all relationship problems, this one is not unique. Even the masters of relationship experiences it sometimes. But if you don’t know how to respond to it, it can escalate conflict and create disconnection between you and your partner. Fortunately, many of the steps you can take to resolve it are pretty simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple. So, what is emotional flooding?Read More

In previous posts, I have mentioned the concept of the four horsemen in this post, I want to discuss them in greater detail and provide a few quick strategies for defeating them.  A shout out to John and Julie Gottman, I love their work and training of other therapists! In their research, they asked two primary questions. First, “what makes a satisfying marriage?” and second, “what predicts divorce?” Read More

In my previous post, I introduced the importance of great communication in healthy relationships. How do we better understand our role in healthy communication? In this post, I want to discuss several important roles for healthy communication. As a quick reminder, while my focus is on healthy communication between romantic partners, it is important to understand these skills are equally as effective in most relationships. There are two primary communication roles, the Speaker and Listener. Read More