Marriage and Intimate Relationships

BY DR. BERT PITTS A famous family therapist, the late Carl Whitaker, once said, “Conflict is the pathway to intimacy.” What on Earth did he mean by that?? Doesn’t conflict feel uncomfortable, and tense, and like an argument? Isn’t each side is trying to win, and avoid losing? How could that lead to intimacy? Whitaker […]

By Dr. Bert Pitts Communicating through conflict requires that the couple pay close attention to the emotional “temperature” between them. Maintaining dialogue (two-way communication) is crucial. Both people have to share honestly, and both have to be heard, which requires that both closely listen (which is more difficult for most than is talking). Dialogue can