One of the few initial signs of a deteriorating romantic relationship is the lack of intimacy due to a lack of interest by either or both parties. It isn’t uncommon for your sex life to wind down a bit after being in the relationship for a length of time. However, there are concerns if there are substantial changes in the frequencies of being intimate with each other.
If sex has not happened for a length of time or if sex becomes robotic and cold, couple’s counseling and even sex therapy should be considered. Read: common misconceptions about marital therapy.
Cultivating fulfilling relationships is an integral part of our work at biltmore psychology and counseling . At bpc, we recognize that the health of your romantic relationship is a critical part of your overall wellness and greatly impacts the quality of almost every other area of your life. The impact of poor intimate relationships can have a negative cascading effect on our lives, impacting our physical health, mental health, motivation, outlook, and overall quality of life. Yet, healthy intimate relationships can greatly enhance our lives leading to happiness, health, and optimism that greatly impacts our quantity and quality of life.
When Should We Start?
Just when you’re ready to start improving your marriage through therapy , your plans come to a screeching halt: your partner won’t go to couples therapy. Your loved one may not be ready, and you can’t force someone to go through the therapy process with you. In this case, you could listen to their concerns and consider alternatives, like reading the same self-help book. While you can’t heal your marriage alone, there’s still hope. Attending individual or couples therapy by yourself can positively impact your marriage by helping you understand yourself and gain relationship skills.
“think about it like a thermostat,” advises brewster.
Ups and downs in relationships are normal but sometimes the downs last longer than either of you expected. Perhaps you’re facing a lack of intimacy or a breakdown in communication. Maybe your disagreements have started leading to guilt and resentment instead of healthy resolution. You might be living together under the same roof but feel more like strangers than a loving team. If any of this resonates, couples therapy or marriage counseling might be a great fit for you. A strong romantic relationship can be one of life’s greatest gifts but a meaningful partnership requires dedication. Many people grow up dreaming of finding their soul mate and living happily ever after.
When you get advice from other people, oftentimes it’s simply that. They share with you what they think and they move onto something else; whether your situation gets better or not. But with a marriage counselor, so long as you’re fully committed to the process of marriage counseling for couples and finding a way to make your marriage healthier, so are they. If that means working together for three months or three years, they are willing to stick it out. Having a marriage counselor means having a professional advocate for your relationship. And honestly, every married couple deserves receiving that kind of assurance and support.
Marriage counseling isn’t limited to the walls of a therapist’s office, however. Additional effort is required from each partner to implement the skills discussed during counseling. “couples need to be invested in the process and be mindful of their communication and behavior,” says cohan. “i routinely give my patients ‘homework’ so they can set time aside to talk about issues and ‘practice’ what they have learned during our sessions. ”bronstein agrees, and frequently gives couples she’s working with various exercises to do outside of scheduled sessions to keep the momentum going. These include: practicing tools for better communication and reduced misunderstandings and hard to resolve conflicts.