My guest today, Mona Barbera, is a psychologist and a Internal Family Systems Therapist who counsels couples. In this interview, she’ll describe “Giving Better Back,” a practical tool couples can use when they are most upset with their partner. Mona explains that when he or she is critical, judgmental, or unreasonable, you can respond with more calm, clarity, and compassion than you are getting and change negative patterns of relating.

In Bring Yourself to Love, Mona says, “As I like to tell my clients, if it’s intense, it’s your own.” She suggests that when you deal with your own internal pain, you won’t be so immersed in it and your partner won’t easily trigger an intense reaction when they do something that hurts or disappoints you.

You can order Dr. Barbera’s powerful book Bring Yourself to Love on Amazon.

The post Vulnerability and Intimacy: Episode 1: Bring Yourself to Love: Achieving Vulnerability and Intimacy in Marriage and Remarriage appeared first on Moving Past Divorce | Counseling, Consulting & Seminars (RI & MA).