Couple Summit

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Why Listening Is Key To Healing Your Love

Conflict is inevitable and doesn’t need to seem like a downfall or failure in your relationship.

How will you use conflict for positive outcomes?

Conflict can be a springboard for more love and understanding between you and your partner.

Julie Gottman is an world renowned researcher and clinical psychologist (and much more). Her and her husband, John Gottman, have been studying the science of love for 40+ years! You can learn more about their work at www.thegottmaninstitute.com 

Conflict is one of the many aspects of love and relationships that they have studied. Through their research, they’ve found that if couples learn to manage conflicts better, the experience can deepen understanding, love, and respect between the partners. Consequently, both partners grow and mature from the experience too.


Here are some tips to manage conflict better in the future:

1. Accept influence from each other. You both hold power in the relationship. No one should dominate the other. Remember, that if one partner is “winning”, then both partners are losing.

2. If the argument becomes too heated or becomes a stalemate, then take a moment to PAUSE.Walk away from each other and breathe, meditate, or whatever soothes you. Once you’re both calm, return to the conversation within a more respectful, rational, and kinder space.

So next time a conflict arises (& it will), challenge yourselves to enter and exit the disagreement with more balance and love.