Couples Therapy And Marriage Counseling

***Disclaimer: My dear reader, in this article by the word "couple" we mean a union of two or more individuals of any gender of sexual orientation.

Our relationship is growing and evolving,  just like a child. It goes through developmental stages, as well as growth pains. We never expect children to look and act the same year in and year out. Growth and change are expected and welcomed. However, somehow, we tend to view relationships as static and expect them to stay the same. In couples therapy I often hear my clients say “We are not what we used to be… Things have changed.” Of course they have! Our relationship is changing, growing and evolving, and will continue to do so.

Relationship is the Process or Relating. How we relate to each other has a lot to do with how we relate to ourselves. Good relationship with ourselves means we have a good sense of self-worth and acknowledgement that we deserve to be loved. This, in turn, translates into our ability to connect and extend love to our partner. Conversely, the more critical, insecure and rejecting we are toward ourselves the more of it will be reflected in our relationship. 

Once we are in relationship, our personal emotional baggage becomes a shared baggage. If one partner carries a charge of unresolved anger, for example, it will sow the seeds of anger, resentment, arguments and quarrels in the Relationship Garden. Alternatively, a compromised self-esteem and beliefs such as “I am unworthy” held by one of the partners, will create a sense of not enough-ness, inadequacy, rejection and even contempt in the relationship. Once we see ourselves as inadequate, we will use this lens of perception not only to gaze inward, but also to look outward. The world around us, including our relationships, will look inadequate, lacking, and deficient. 

Same sex and gay couples tend to carry a greater burden of shame-based trauma. Growing up in the world that labeled us as inappropriate, less-than, damaged and even perverted, we internalize some of this poison and may accept some of these beliefs. Despite the progress of LGBTQI+ community in advocating for equality, we still have ways to go until true equality is achieved. 

Sense of inadequacy, worthlessness, wrong-ness and inappropriateness are common concerns in LGBT community and among the clients I see in my Los Angeles clinic for individual counseling and couples therapy. This additional layer of baggage often contributes to challenges in same-sex relationship. Their partner(s) becomes the mirror of their sense of rejection and unworthiness, leading partners to turn against each other, threatening the integrity of the intimate bond.

Another unique challenge to same-sex couples is weakened social and familial support. Each relationship is embedded in the nurturing soil of social context and familial ties. Often same-sex relationships are not granted same social weight as heteronormative relationships. Frequently same sex couples find themselves lacking the affirmation and validation of their families. They are faced with the task of creating the context for their relationship through weaving together their family of choice comprised of close friends. In a way, many same-sex relationships find themselves lacking sufficient roots to support and nurture the relationship.

There are additional unique aspects to the same-sex relationships. For example, gay men are adept in structuring their relationships in numerous non-monogamous ways in order to experience more flexible and adjustable forms of unions. Also, gay men seem to more frequently form relationships with more significant age differences between the partners. At times the unique aspects of our unions also add additional dimensions of challenges in maintaining a balanced and thriving relationships.

Our intimate bonds have the potential to bring great richness and joy into our life, however, there is a catch. In order to experience the co-creative power of our unions we have to work through the baggage we brought into our relationship. We are unaware of the unconscious process that draws together - we call it "chemistry." However, we always fall in love with a partner who is able to bring up within us all our baggage that requires resolution. We are attracted to partners who are best equipped to push the buttons of our unresolved baggage we carry from our childhood and past relationships. Our happiness lies just behind the door of our old wounds and baggage. Couples therapy is here to grant you the key to unlock this hidden door. 

At this point you might wonder how can couples therapy and marriage counseling help you overcome relationship difficulties? What can couples expect in the process of couples therapy and what are the benefits of marriage counseling?

How can Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling help my relationship?

Previously we talked about the involuntary nature of our attraction and the process in which our attraction brings us together with partners who are able to trigger all of our unresolved baggage. The honeymoon period is sometimes jokingly referred to as the anesthesia stage. This stage precedes the more challenging phases of a relationship in which all of our unresolved “stuff” comes up  to the surface. The magnitude of the challenges we encounter in our relationship corresponds to the magnitude of the emotional baggage we bring into the relationship. The greater the baggage, the greater the difficulties. The phase in which our past baggage is brought up for resolution is challenging and hurtful. This can be the time of crisis in which couples often seek couples counseling or marriage therapy, hoping to alleviate the hurt and turbulence in the relationship and re-establish harmony and connection.

The role of couples counseling and marriage therapy is to help partners work through and resolve their baggage in a focused and controlled manner, preventing the unresolved negative emotions, past traumas and limiting beliefs from creating further hurt and damage in the relationship. The role of therapy is also to help the couple to rebuild intimacy, trust, connection and harmony. 

Once the couple is able to recognize and resolve the unconscious emotional patterns stemming from their past, the healing process begins. Harmonious and loving intimate relationships are a powerful tool of healing and growth. Through a loving relationship we are able to align with our nature and purpose, to have the courage to be present in our life, to explore what life has to offer and to enjoy the security of the loving home waiting for us in the end of each day. Our relationships have the potential to bring up our old hurts, but they also are incredibly powerful tools for healing and growth.

How does therapy with Dr. Harel work?

In my Los-Angeles based couples therapy practice I have developed a 3 Power-step approach to help my clients restore loving connection and wellbeing - the A-R-C approach:

A wareness – During the first Power-Step we will meet together to discuss what brings you in, what is your current experience in your relationship or marriage, and what is it that you want to experience instead. Here we will talk about the history of your current relationship, as well as your developmental histories and prior relationships. This background information will provide rich foundation for our work together. Here we will uncover the recurrent patterns in each of your life experiences and identify both the problem and the solution.

R elease – In the second Power-Step in the counseling process I will meet individually with each partner to address the personal emotional baggage that each partner brought into the relationship. Here we use advanced mind-technology of Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP) and elements of light hypnotherapy to create rapid and profound shift in your experience. Both NLP and hypnotherapy are tools to release the old emotional baggage of unresolved negative emotions and limiting beliefs, and clear the path toward your desires and dreams. The Power-Step of Release is geared toward releasing the personal baggage that each partner brought into the relationship.

C o-Creation – The third Power-Step of psychotherapy is experienced by the couple together and here we resolve the differences and challenges that were created within the relationship itself. It is designed to provide new tools and resources to solidify couple’s gains and establish relationship trajectory toward all the things that the couple desires to experience in their togetherness. During this step we create a vision of your ideal relationship and set you on the path of joy, purpose and fulfillment.

I see the role of a psychotherapist to be similar to that of a guide. When you hire a guide to navigate an unfamiliar terrain, you expect the guide to take you to your destination in the shortest and safest route, while you agree to follow the guide and to do the walking. I can help you find your path and support you in achieving your heart desires, under one condition – you will have to do the walking.

Is psychotherapy for me?

My LA clinic proudly serves the diverse and multifaceted communities of Los Angeles California at large. Sometimes I am asked whether as a therapist I can guarantee results. This is an important question to answer. Our time, energy and money are important resources and we want to allocate them wisely. When we talk about guarantee, there are two key elements to consider – you and me. As a therapist I can absolutely guarantee that my clients receive absolutely all of my knowledge, expertise, experience, attention and support. I can also guarantee that if my total commitment to your success is met with the same commitment from you, our work will have a transformative impact on your life.

My 100% success guarantee comes with 3 necessary attitudes on the part of my clients:

1. Ownership of full responsibility for our life. Knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, we are 100% responsible and our life, including our relationship, is our making.

2. Willingness to let go of the old baggage, including resentments, anger, grief, old beliefs etc.

3. Full commitment to making all changes necessary to achieve our goals.

This single-minded commitment to your success and wellbeing is the key component of our work. From my clinical experience at my Los-Angeles psychotherapy clinic I can attest that 100% of my clients who showed up with 100% commitment to themselves, achieved remarkable life-changing results during our work together.

Perhaps, despite the pain you are experiencing in your relationship, you are struggling to fully commit to rebuilding your relationship and engage in couples counseling. If this is the case, you are not alone. Sometimes we need a little nudge to help us bring our intent and motivation into a single-minded laser-sharp focus. Consider how a trusting loving intimate connection with your partner could change your life? What it would be like to wake up in the morning to a warm loving embrace? How would it feel to come home to a warm welcome by your spouse? What would time together without arguments be like? How rekindled intimacy would contribute to your wellbeing, career and health? If these pictures create curiosity or even excitement within you, pick up the phone and give me a call. Transformation, empowerment and growth are just a phone call away.