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Monthly Archives :

April 2015

The War In Your Brain Is Killing Your Marriage!
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Don't let the argument in your head trip you up!There is a war going on.  It isn’t between you and your spouse.

It is right between your ears!  Your brain is at war with itself.

Well, to be more accurate, there are two parts of your brain that are constantly at odds with each other, both looking for different things.

And the part of your brain we humans are most proud of — that rational, reasonable, logical part — is trying to play referee. . . but not very effectively!

Your lizard brain and your herd brain try to hijack you.  Each has a different desire, a different need.  And both can end up tripping you up. . . unless you understand the roles of each.  And until you learn to listen to each one.

Learn more about how the war in your head can kill your marriage — and what to do about it!

 

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Love Is A Gift, Not A Transaction!
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Love is a gift, not a transaction.You try to show love to your spouse. . . and you get nothing in return.  You try to let your spouse know how much you love your spouse. . . and you get nothing back.

Let me say that I do not think it is alright to be in a relationship where none of your needs are met.

But I want to challenge you:  are you doing those things, so that your needs will be met?

If so, you are not giving love, you are trying to make a transaction: “I do this for you, so you do that for me.”

That is a recipe for hurt and pain.

Love is a gift.  And only when it is freely given can it be accepted without manipulation or expectation.

Let me say that again:

Love is a gift, not a transaction.

Sometimes, I hear a spouse complain, “I always think there are strings attached.  It feels so needy and manipulative.”  While they can’t quite put there finger on it, this is the reason.  Their spouse is doing “loving” things, but not without strings attached, expectations just below the surface.

This behavior often grows into a relationship, contaminating it.  At first, you do things because you want the other person to know how much you care.  Then, over time, it is more and more about feeling cared for.  Maybe it is a hug, hoping for a hug in return.  Perhaps it is an “I love you,” so you can be assured of an “I love you” back.  Or maybe it is a “backrub,” with hopes and pressure it will lead to more.

Love is a gift, freely given.

Transactions are for businesses and banks.

The gift of love is only felt as love, when it is given with no strings attached.

Let’s talk about it in today’s podcast!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
The Balance Book Marriage
Interview with Gary Chapman – Love Experiment2 Necessary Feelings
Save The Marriage System

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Treat Your Marriage Like A Baby!
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Treat your marriage like a baby!Sometimes, it is helpful to have a mental image or idea in mind, to help you navigate spaces.

Marriage is an idea you don’t fully understand until you are in it.

Unfortunately, there is plenty of time to make mistakes, all while trying to figure it out.

We forget that training for marriage only happens “on the job.”  Which is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that so many people feel hurt and neglected in their relationships.

So, in this week’s podcast, I want to provide an image and consider the implications.

What if you treated your marriage (not your spouse, but the relationship) like a baby?  What would that change?  (An astute reader made this observation, and I thought it was powerful.  Powerful enough to share.)

Listen and let me know what you think!

(Ready to learn more about caring for your marriage and healing it?  Grab my Save The Marriage System HERE.)

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Wishing And Hoping Is NOT A Plan!
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Wishing and hoping is not a plan.I admit it.  I am an information junkie.  If I am interested in something, I read and read before taking action.

Sometimes, though, when something big is in front of us, we forget that last word, “action.”

You can study, read, cogitate, agitate, marinate. . . and do nothing.

Oh, sure, it can feel like you are doing something.  After all, your mind is in overdrive.  But there is no action.

It’s kind of like being stuck in neutral, but revving the engine.  It sounds like something is happening.  The engine is roaring.  But there is no movement.

Why does that happen?

I believe there are 4 barriers.  Here they are:

  1. Fear
  2. Lack of knowledge
  3. Lack of confidence
  4. Lack of desire

Done is better than perfect.We can work through any of them (except the last), and you can move forward with working on your relationship.  But only when you are ready to lean into it.

But you have to get started!

Fear may make you feel like you don’t want to take action.  But fear is really only telling you that it is important.

And you don’t have to get it perfectly.  You have to get started and moving in the right direction.

Let’s get out of neutral and get you headed back to a relationship you can treasure!

Listen to the podcast below.

RESOURCES FROM THE PODCAST:
Your Reason Why To Save Your MarriageHaving A Plan To Save Your Marriage
3 C’s of Saving A Marriage
The Save The Marriage System
Virtual Coaching

 

 

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Love Is NOT Effortless
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Authentic love is the basis of a lasting marriage.Maybe you have heard these lines:

  • “Love should just happen.”
  • “This is just too much work.”
  • “I’m not feeling it, so it must not be true love.”
  • “I just don’t feel the attraction/excitement I used to feel.  Something is wrong.”

Have you ever been told something so many times that you begin to doubt yourself?  You begin to believe what the other person (an upset spouse, friends, family, etc.) says — even if it goes against what you (think you) believe.

Our notions about love are like that.  And unfortunately, those romanticized notions of love are what we grow up on.  We are fed them by movies, books, songs, and culture.

But Authentic Love is different.  It is not devoid of romance.  It is just not based on it.  Romanticized love is based on 4 unsustainable elements.  Authentic Love is based on 4 sustainable elements, and in your control.

“I’m not feeling it” is not a reason to end a marriage.  It is a reason to reconsider the working definition of love.

Don’t be sucked in by the view of love in the movies, in the books, in songs, and that others around you might have.  It is dangerous, and misguided.

(No, I am not against romance — unless it is used as the “litmus test” of a relationship.  Otherwise, it is great!)

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
Interview with Bob Grant
The Save The Marriage System
Apply to the Virtual Coaching Program

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