Breaking bad habits isn't about sheer willpower; it's about understanding how habits work and using the right strategies to disrupt them.

You can achieve lasting change by avoiding cues, making behaviors harder, mentally blocking impulses, and substituting bad habits with good ones

As a couples therapist, I often see clients who struggle with maintaining focus.

Turns out, a whopping 40% of people are unintentionally sabotaging their ability to concentrate.

The culprit? Dehydration.

In military slang, "the gouge" refers to vital information, tips, or insider knowledge that helps service members prepare for tests, evaluations, or assignments.

This concept can be wonderfully applied to science-based couples therapy, which offers essential tools, hacks, and strategies for navigating and enhancing intimate relationships.

Additionally, the military phrase "embrace the suck," which means to accept and endure difficult situations, also holds valuable wisdom for couples therapy. Let’s explore how these concepts from military slang can be applied to couples therapy to improve life and legacy.

When most long-term couples think about affection, they often picture either a quick peck on the cheek or a full-on romantic encounter.

But as I often remind couples, falling into the trap of equating sex solely with intercourse can limit your potential for both affection and intimacy.

According to sex therapists Barry McCarthy and E. McCarthy in their book "Enhancing Couple Sexuality," this mindset leads to lower levels of both affection and intercourse.

To avoid this trap, let’s consider how you and your partner discover and communicate about the various types of touch you each enjoy.

Spoiler alert: there’s a whole spectrum of touch to explore.

That lusty, unstoppable, boundless feeling of falling in love has a lot to do with novelty.

It is no surprise that as we become familiar with one another novelty tapers off and perhaps some of that initial “effortless” love wanes as well.

How do we get our mojo back?

What is Cinema Therapy?

Cinema therapy is the clinical use of movies as a top-line mental health intervention.

Cinema therapy offers a catalytic, multi-sensory impact on thoughts, feelings, and values.

Watching movies can activate areas of the brain involved in emotional processing, empathetic responses, and problem-solving…

In his book, The Science of Trust, Dr. John Gottman explains that 91% of our time spent together as a couple is spent as a foursome…because when you’re not emotionally available with your real partner, you may be in deep communion with the partner in your head.

That’s why this post talks to you about one of the most powerful interventions in science-based couples therapy…the Gottman Repair Checklist.

Ever hesitated to ask for a favor, fearing rejection or revealing your own insecurities? You're not alone. But here's the kicker: you're actually 50% more persuasive than you think!

Why? Psychological research shows we often underestimate our persuasive powers. People comply with our requests far more often than we imagine.

Imagine if you could turn back the clock on your brain by simply investing one hour a week in aerobic workouts.

Sounds like a dream, right?

Well, research has found that short aerobic workouts can provide an immense boost to your memory and thinking skills, effectively removing 5 years of brain aging.

John Gottman’s 1999 study, Predicting Divorce among Newlyweds from the First Three Minutes of a Marital Conflict, was a landmark event in couples therapy research.

Gottman discovered they could predict the likelihood of a couple’s divorce by observing just the first 3 minutes of a conflict discussion…

New research confirms something we sort of already knew. Conflict resolution skills in marriage are essential for success.

But because of new research, we now have a better appreciation of how important it actually is…

A recent longitudinal research project at the Relationship Institute at UCLA. has unpacked this important question.

The Marriage and Family Development Laboratory at UCLA has been conducting significant research on keeping marriages vibrant and strong for nearly 30 years.

What did they learn about commitment in a marriage?