This two-day workshop will give you new insights and research-based relationship skills that can dramatically improve the intimacy and friendship in your relationship and help you resolve conflict in a healthy, productive way. The Art and Science of Love workshop is suitable for couples of all ages and orientations. We work with you to guide you to a more intimate and positive relationship. You will never be required to share any personal details with the group and you will be given time during the day to sit privately with your partner to engage in guided discussions and activities.
At the workshop, couples will learn how to:
- Foster respect, affection, and closeness
- Build and share a deeper connection with each other’s inner world
- Keep conflict discussions calm
- Break through and resolve conflict gridlock
- Strengthen and maintain the gains in your relationship
If a couple is dealing with physical abuse or battering, this workshop may not be appropriate. In these cases, please consult a trained couples therapist in your area.
WORKSHOP TOPICS
1. The five basic questions:
- How is your marriage/relationship doing?
- What makes relationships change, for better or for worse?
- If your relationship is in trouble, how can you turn it around?
- If your relationship is doing well, how can you ensure that your relationship will continue to grow?
- As your relationship improves, how can you make changes last?
2. Assessing your relationship
- Learn to recognize the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and what to do if they are attacking your relationship/marriage
- Identify your relationship’s specific strengths and how to build on these
- Learn about the effects of physiological flooding and how it may impede conflict resolution
- Learn the small, easy steps that increase romance in your relationship
3. Building a “Sound Relationship House”
- Learn how Love Maps provide a solid foundation for intimacy
- Use the Fondness and Admiration System to renew respect and care for one another
- Create an Emotional Bank Account that you can draw upon in times of stress
- Develop your problem-solving skills, including the four techniques of effective conflict resolution: Softened Start-up, Accepting Influence, Repair Work, and De-escalation
- Find out how you can make your dreams and aspirations come true for you, your partner, and your relationship
The workshop begins at 9am both mornings and ends at 4.30-5pm both afternoons.