Body Awareness in Couples Communication

I often see couples struggling with ‘communication’.  When a couple shares they have trouble talking to one another, our goal is to break down the pattern of communication in the relationship, and to see where they feel it has become stalled.  Sometimes there are ‘hot topics’ that provoke such an intense reaction within the couple that they stay away from any discussion.   I’ve found that part of therapy is working with people to gently get closer to that which is most uncomfortable.  This is where the intimacy of the relationship is heightened.  The places that scare us the most are most likely one of the areas that need to be healed.  During our marriage counseling, each couple will learn skills and tips for managing anxiety when communicating, and options for how to respond to one’s partner when under stress.  A really common occurrence is feeling ‘flooded’ with emotion that limits the potential of any communication between the partners.   Meditation and body awareness exercises greatly impact the sensation of ‘shutting down’ and feeling the need to retreat. 

-- Dr Corinne Scholtz is a top-rated local family therapist who specializes in marriage counseling.  She has two office locations in 33301 and 33308.