Posted by on Mar 24, 2012 in Featured Slider, Life Enrichment Arts & Services, Pre-Nuptial & Post Wedding Sessions | 0 comments

Relationship Counsel & Enrichment

Ticket to Thrive Counsel & Therapy

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.”  Elizabeth Gilbert

We live, go through natural cycles and change. Relationships are like living breathing organisms in that they also evolve. Couples work offers an opportunity to explore and experience one another anew; to more clearly see and hear your partner. It’s a time when distractions are suspended and space for genuineness is opened, allowing each of you to witness and be seen in your authentic self. It is a time to make space for growth in ways you may never have imagined.

I work with people in relationship with each other – friends, co-workers, siblings, as well as couples – in all stages of relationship. We may be basically satisfied with our relationship yet know there are concerns that need addressing so they don’t continue or grow into relationship killers like resentment an contempt. We may have a sense that there is something within that gets triggered by, yet not directly related to our partner. We may feel the need for deeper physical, emotional or spiritual connection and don’t know how to get it. Or one day, we may wonder “Who am I?” or look at our partner and wonder “Who are you?”

Any of these situations may be the point in the relationship when we realize there are choices to be made. Do we call it quits, live together bored or miserable, or start working towards the next stage in our lives individually and together in the relationship. It’s easier when we keep in mind that we are all capable of increasing our power and skills of loving, and, that healing it is a process. One of my wise teachers told me that when your relationship feels like a hopeless mess, it’s more likely that “there’s a swamp in your relationship, and not that your relationship is a swamp!”

Quantum physics informs us that we’re all in relationship with everyone and thing in our lives! Our relationship with everyone and everything is a vital part of our interconnected life. I believe learning and evolving is our purpose for being in all our relationships – as individuals, and as couples. As you may have experienced, the most challenging are with those we love! This is because “Love brings up anything unlike itself for the purpose of healing and release.” We serve as mirrors for each other, so we can see ourselves for our self-study. Therefore it’s harder to hide from our issues when we are in an intimate relationship. This may seem like the downside of love, yet the challenges that come up are really opportunities for growth and greater intimacy.

There is practical foundational work we can do in addition to dealing with symptomatic issues. We all can learn more about healthy communication as a key to resolving conflicts and in opening the space for greater intimacy, trust, and joy in a relationship. It sounds easy and appealing in the self-help books, and they can offer new and supportive information. However, “Active Listening” and other communication abilities are learned skills, ones that may not come naturally and may feel contrived and awkward in the beginning. They are most successful with “in the moment” coaching, and then practiced in all your relationships. It takes training, intention, commitment and lots of good will. And with this foundation, we can grow deeper in intimacy as we experience the power of intentional love in a relationship that evolves and thrives. Let’s stress less, heal and thrive together!

“Love is an intention.
It is not just something that happens,
that you fall into.
It is something that you choose to do
because it is the way of truth
and it is the way of life.”
 Jerry Jud