happy connected marriage Archives ⋆ Mike and Susan Dawson

How to be Assertive with Wants and Needs in Your Relationship

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2021-01-19T23:18:08+00:00Attitude, Communication|

A dear friend shared with us recently that he and his wife had a significant breakthrough in improving their communication. They’ve been married for 15 years, and both of them love each other very much. But his wife — she’s the most selfless person you’d ever meet — struggled with being assertive. Rather than ask for what she wanted and needed from him and their relationship, she stayed quiet, assuming he’d read her mind. Here’s the problem: he’s not a mind-reader, no matter how much he adores her. He was clueless about what she wanted, and she started feeling like he simply didn’t care. It wasn’t until they sat down [...]

5 Principles of Positive Communication

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2020-12-31T23:49:19+00:00Communication|

Positive Communication is vital in marriage. If you don’t believe us, please read the many couples blogs we’ve posted over the years. Communication is a pivotal thread in all of them, as this is how we get to know our spouse and truly hear what their heart wants and needs. Communication is also how we fall in love, work through problems, and know when to be there for each other. Without it, the opportunity to grow and achieve a safe and connected marriage is impossible. Jimmy Evans is a pastor who has become an authority on the power of positive communication in marriage. While he echoes many of the [...]

Putting good things into your marriage: Rituals of Connection

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2020-09-21T22:38:42+00:00Connection, Emotion|

Every couple and each marriage are unique. But having worked with and spoken to as many married couples as we have over the years, it is clear that the ones who are at their absolute happiest together — the ones who are continually putting good things into their marriage — share a lot of striking similarities and rituals of connection that ultimately help them feel safe and connected. Display a healthy amount of fondness and admiration for one another. Are in love and look for ways to have fun together. They have more heart talk than work talk. Meeting each other’s emotional needs is paramount to [...]