It's Not About the Nail!

For the past several weeks, we’ve been exploring the 9 Secrets to Love and Lust for a Lifetime. This week we will explore the most important secret of all!Secret #4 - CommunicationThis is the key to the success of any relationship! We've seen this repeatedly in our practice, as many state their biggest challenge is communication.Why is effective communication so difficult? Here are the most common reasons:

• We may get “hijacked” by our emotions during a highly charged discussion and can’t hear the true message our partner is expressing.
• We never learned healthy communication skills growing up, so we don’t know the art of listening, assertiveness or managing conflict productively.
• We learned poor communication habits from our family of origin, e.g. unresolved destructive conflict, silence and withdrawal, as disagreements were swept under the rug.
• We use electronic communication, such as email and text, which increases the likelihood of misinterpretation due to the lack of non-verbal and visual cues.
• We filter the information we receive through our previous experiences, our assumptions, beliefs and even our moods.

Communication, the exchange of information, emotions, desires and beliefs, is the foundation upon which relationships are built. It is vital for couples to learn and practice healthy communication skills. We are here to support you.Watch this funny video - It's Not About the Nail! - and we promise you will gain a deeper understanding of what it means to “truly communicate.”We'd love to hear your feedback!Sign up for our monthly eNewsletter, Radical Relationships, to receive more tips and articles from us about relationships.To Your Relationship,Lori and Bob Hollander