We understand that honey-moons phase out and once they do marriage may seem like much more than we bargained for, especially when we start to believe that our partners are not honoring their end of the marital agreement or commitment. These contract violations can be anything from:
* failing to attend agreed upon religious/spiritual services
* mismanaging household finances
* incompatible parenting styles
* lack of sexual intimacy
* infidelity
The list goes on. The one thing these violations all have in common is that if left un-addressed for an extended period of time they can result in one or both partners experiencing a high degree of martial-emotional distress, where one or both partners report experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Some have even described the emotional experience as a feeling of being “burned out” with the marriage. These feelings are often perpetuated by feelings of mistrust and can sometimes manifest within other areas of the relationship, such as with communication. Ineffective and unhealthy communication interactions over time can create a sense of being disconnected from your partner and feeling misunderstood, the room-mate syndrome.
At HOPE’s Corner an integrative clinical counseling approach is used to help couples identify both emotional and physical barriers negatively impacting their marital connection. In using this approach we also explore the root cause of contract violations in an effort to relieve martial distress and ensure the health and longevity of the marital relationship.
