by Nancy Travers | Sep 15, 2019 | Uncategorized
If your partner has admonished you for being defensive, you may have been so because you perceived you were being attacked, and you were trying to defend yourself. Being defensive is a natural response when your partner criticizes you—including when he criticizes you... by Nancy Travers | Sep 8, 2019 | Uncategorized
Last week we talked about how criticism can damage your marriage. But there’s something even worse than criticism. It’s contempt. When you feel contempt for your spouse, you believe he is beneath you. That he doesn’t merit being treated with respect. When you speak to... by Nancy Travers | Sep 1, 2019 | Uncategorized
If you want to have a miserable marriage and a probable divorce, be sure to communicate in destructive ways. There are four particular behaviors that research shows are fatal to good marriages: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling. Engage in any one of... by Nancy Travers | Aug 25, 2019 | Uncategorized
A friend says she feels like her spouse doesn’t love her. “He never tells me he loves me like he used to when we were first dating.” Her spouse, on the other hand, wonders how she can feel unloved. He tells her loves her by the things he does for her. Like he notices... by Nancy Travers | Aug 19, 2019 | Uncategorized
If you’ve been in a relationship with a narcissist, you know how destructive they can be, leaving you feel powerless and depressed with your self-esteem shattered. Still, your sense of compassion and empathy makes you wonder how the narcissist could treat you so... by Nancy Travers | Aug 14, 2019 | Uncategorized
If someone is treating you badly, you can just leave, right? Unless that person is your boss or your spouse or your mother or some other family member. And what if you know you’re being treated badly but keep making excuses for your abuser? Or what if you’re just used... 