Research conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, showed that poor sleep hurts relationships. “Poor sleep may make us more selfish as we prioritize our own needs over our partner’s,” according to Amie Gordon. Gordon concluded that when partners feel unappreciated, the hidden culprit is sometimes poor sleep. Sleep is a Cornerstone of Mental Health […]
Turning Toward Each Other to Maintain Your Relationship
The Magic Five and One-half Hours a Week: How to strengthen your relationship by turning toward each other every day. Couples who make time for each other on a regular basis strengthen their relationship. We often underestimate how important the seemingly small things are to the health of a marriage. Small positive things done often […]
The Buckeye: Intimations of Spring
Spring is still a ways away where I live in northern California. The air is fresh; the sunlight brightens the green hills surrounding our mountain. The evenings are becoming just noticeably longer. The opposite coast, from Boston to Maine, saw 30 inches of snow in just a few days. Sensational news stories tell of people […]
Psychotherapy and Choice :The Journey to the Self
I often hike the trails below Mt. Diablo and am not a stranger to seeing snakes on the path, and have been told that in stretches of certain trails, rattlesnakes peer out from under the rocks. But on a recent hike, I was startled to actually make eye contact with a rattler! It was hiding […]
The Fourth Horseman: Stonewalling
Walking up the steep steps gave me a view of the entire countryside, but scaling a partner’s emotional wall isn’t that easy. I reflected on why we put up walls and how these walls get maintained over the years. Walls are built for protection—to keep others out—and to keep control. In marriage, partners who have […]
