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Save Your Marriage Podcast

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What’s YOUR Model of Marriage?: #56 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Mental models.  We all have them.  It can help us make sense of the world. . . and keep us stuck.  Every mental model is really a shortcut in understanding reality.

A mental model is simply a way we understand something.  Politics are a mental model.  Each political view has a certain viewpoint on many topics and issues.  But given the wide array of political views, it would appear that each viewpoint has shortcomings — information that is missing or ignored.

The same is true throughout our lives.  Every mental model we have gives us both strengths and weaknesses.  And we rarely examine why those models are there, or where they come from.

Where did YOU learn about marriage?Take, for example, your model of marriage.  Where did YOUR understanding of marriage come from?  Mostly likely, it has a great deal to do with the marriage you saw as you were growing up.

Many of us grew up with the “tough it out” or “screw it, I’m out” models of marriage.  The lessons learned by watching these two models can keep us stuck and limit our possibility for change in marriage.

Are you ready to make a shift in your mental model?  Allow me to offer yet another model.  I think you will find my model has more potential than either of the other two models.

In this week’s podcast, I cover the 3 models and give you help in making the shift.  Let me know what model you had growing up, and how you are changing it now.  Just leave a comment in the area below.

If you are ready for a new model, but are not quite sure how to get there, please grab my Save The Marriage System RIGHT HERE.

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When Personalities Clash: #55 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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How to save your marriage when dealing with personalities.Sometimes, we think we are just who we are, unique and special.  We like to believe we are just, well, “normal.”

I remember when I first took a personality test years ago.  It was the Myers Briggs Personality Indicator (MBTI).  I answered a bunch of questions and received a four-letter designation (not to be confused with 4 letter words that have been used to describe me!).

What amazed me was how accurate the description was for that particular type (1 of 16).  The designation helped me think about how I processed the world.

There is one problem, though.  That particular profile has lots of moving parts, making it a bit complicated for the typical person who is trying to figure out how your personality and your spouse’s personality makes your marriage more or less difficult.

Today, I want to offer a much simpler approach.  This approach, the Personality Matrix, has only 4 different types.  And you don’t even need a test to tell you where you fall.  When you hear my descriptions in the audio (below), you will quickly locate your primary type.  You will also quickly assess your spouse’s type.

You will also discover your greatest strengths and weaknesses — and how to escape your vulnerabilities.

More than that, I will share with you how to speak to your spouse’s type, so that you both feel more understood — and more capable of navigating the stuck points of your personality.

I invite you to leave a comment below, with the type you discovered and how you are going to make a shift away from your natural weakness.

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3 Things YOU Can Do RIGHT NOW To Save Your Marriage: #54
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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3 Things You Can Do To Save Your Marriage InfographicThe email started the same way as many others.  “Bob” was impatient.  He wanted results. . . and he wanted them now!

His opening line said it all:  “Tell me what I can do right now!  Don’t tell me about some plan for the next 3 months.  I want to know what I can do RIGHT NOW!”

I can tell yo what Bob was looking for:  some trick, technique, or tip that he could do without any effort.  He wanted something quick and easy — something that required no energy or real effort on his part.

Results.  That was what he wanted.  But really, what he wanted was “results without effort.”  We all get tempted by that.

I will tell you what I told Bob:  there are some things you can do, and you can start doing them right now, this instant.  But they aren’t little tricks.  They aren’t manipulation.

Instead, they are ways you can approach your marriage and your life, making an instant shift, that could create incredible change.

IF you were to do all 3 things I suggest in my audio, I guarantee your life will radically change for the better — and so will your marriage!

These shifts are simple and direct.  And they mostly require you to make an internal shift.  You don’t have to know any “secret language pattern,” or understand any “sneaky brainwashing tricks.”

In fact, all 3 things I suggest you do only takes you to a place of MORE authenticity.

Bob contacted me a couple of months later.  He told me that when I first responded, he was “ticked off” (cleaned up version), and thought about sending me a searing email.

The next day, he decided he had nothing really to lose.  He was out of ideas.  Every other technique had backfired, so he thought he might just want to give my ideas a try.

Bob took on all 3 items I describe in the podcast.  It took a little time to get unhooked from his automatic actions.  But what he noticed right off was the shift within him.

He responded differently, interacted differently, and carried himself differently.

His wife took note.  His life took a turn.  How about you?

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Are You An ‘Askhole’ With Your Spouse?: #53 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Don't be an AskHole with your spouse.Quick question:  are you an A-hole with your spouse?  Oops, I meant “AskHole.”

Are you familiar with the term?  It describes someone that asks a question, but is a jerk with the answer that is given.

Just observationally, I see couples do this in 6 ways.  One or the other asks a question, gets an answer, then disregards the answer.  In fact, sometimes the answer ends up being a weapon.

Do you do that?  Do you ask a question and then misuse the response?

Discover the 6 ways you could be an “ask-hole,” and then learn how to do it differently.

Don’t be an Ask-hole to your spouse!  Please listen to the free audio below the infographic:

AreYouAnAskhole

If you are ready to take action, GRAB MY SAVE THE MARRIAGE SYSTEM HERE

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5 Communication Mistakes You May Be Making: #52 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Don't make these communication mistakes in your marriage!Is communication an issue in your marriage?  Do you have communication problems, but are not sure how to solve them — or even what they are?

Many people believe that there marriage problems are communication problems.  I disagree.  I believe they are actually perception problems.

But that doesn’t mean there are no communication problems.  In fact, communication problems can end up frustrating anyone — and they can add to problems you are already having!

In this podcast, I cover 5 very common communication mistakes.  You are likely to be making at least one (and most people make at least 3).  Which mistake is your issue?

Let me know which one hits home for you!  Leave a comment in the area below.

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What Plane Crashes, Scuba Accidents, Rampant Dinosaurs, and Medical Mistakes Have To Do With Your Marriage Crisis: #51 Save The Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Why marriages succeed or fail.So what DO airplane and scuba accidents have to do with marriage problems?  What CAN rampaging dinosaurs and medical accidents teach us about your marriage problems?

As it turns out, A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT!

For years, I have had a strange fascination with reading Scuba accident reports.  And for about that same amount of time, science theories about accidents and chaos theory have been an interest.

The reason for this is because those same dynamics play a role in any system failure — including marriage!

“John” and “Susie” are not having problems because of an argument or even infidelity.  Those are just pieces of the puzzle.  The problem is that John and Susie keep looking at those little pieces — and they miss the bigger view — the one that COULD help them get back on track.

In this podcast, you will learn about the chain of events that create a marriage crisis.  You will learn about the pattern that spirals out of control and can spell catastrophe for a marriage.  And you will learn how shifting perspective can change the whole pattern.

Let me know what you think in the comments area below!

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Time To Really Show Up In Your Marriage!: #50 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Show up in your marriage!We all do it.  We play it small.  We try to “slide by,” avoid the conflict, and hope something will change.

If you find yourself doing that, time to stop!  Life happens, problems end, and relationships improve, only when we finally commit to showing up.

Being present can radically change your relationship.  Really being there, present and attentive, can change your entire life.

So why don’t we show up?  Past hurts, fears, anger, resentment — they all can get in the way.

But letting those emotions and concerns get in your way only limits your life.  They only keep you trapped.

Free yourself and discover how to show up in this week’s podcast.

Let me know what you think in the comments area below!

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Are You Courageously Compassionate? Doing What Needs To Be Done: #49 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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courageous compassion can help your marriage.When we feel close to someone, compassion is easy.  It comes naturally.

But when we are hurt or angry, when we feel disconnection from someone, compassion is harder.

That is when you have to be “courageously compassionate.”

Sometimes, we let our feelings “call the shots.”  We get stuck.  We give up.  Or we become so frantic that we cause more problems.

But what happens when you change your perspective?  What happens when you view your spouse from a different perspective — a compassionate perspective?

Find out in today’s podcast, an encore presentation.

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Do You Suffer From PPM Syndrome? How It Can Destroy Your Marriage!: #48 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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How to save your marriage when someone has PPM Syndrome.Do you have it?  Do you or a loved one suffer from PPM Syndrome?  This syndrome infects many people — and they don’t know they have it.  When they hear the symptoms, many people continue to believe they do not have it.

Oh, sure, somebody they know has it, they tell themselves, but “not me.”  Let me suggest that many (if not most) people have some level of infection.

Does this syndrome hold you back?  Most likely.

Does this syndrome hurt your marriage?  Most likely.  Whether you have it, or spouse has it, or both of you have it, this syndrome will damage any relationship.

But there is good news!  There is relief.  There is an antidote.

Before you get the antidote, you must diagnose the infection.

Listen to this week’s podcast and determine if you (or someone you love) has PPM Syndrome (“poor pitiful me” syndrome).  It is far more dangerous and widespread than you may think!

Let me know about your infection (and how it is affecting your marriage) in the comments area below!

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7 Strategies When You Hear “This Will Never Work and I Don’t Love You”: #47 Save Your Marriage Podcast
 150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.
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Emotions are not reality when saving your marriage.A kick in the gut.  Your spouse tells you “I don’t love you.”  Or as you are trying to save your relationship, your spouse says, “This will never work.”  It can take you to your knees.

You might want to give up.  You might believe your spouse is telling you the truth.

In actuality,  your spouse is really telling you about his or her emotional state.  And an emotional state is not the same as reality.  Emotions change.

But you do NOT want to make it worse.  You don’t want to respond in certain ways that will only cause your partner to more deeply believe the story he/she is telling to you (and to him/herself).

In this week’s podcast, I explain the truth behind these definitive and painful statements, plus 7 tips and strategies to make sure things don’t get worse (and in fact, get better!).

Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments area below!

 

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