Relationship Advice Tips from Dr. Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.
The fact that Ray Rice’s finance married him despite being physically abused, means that the relationship was and continues to be extremely important to her.
When someone is more afraid of losing a relationship than of being abused, they live with stress and insecurity, trying hard to make sure never to anger their partner.
But that doesn’t mean they have to live like that forever more!
Attending couples therapy can make both Ray and his wife relate on a level that keeps their marriage strong but without the threat or experience of physical, verbal or emotional abuse.
You may imagine that Ray would get a dressing down and his wife feel powerful by demeaning him verbally. Perhaps you think that is what is required.
However, In order for the couples therapy to get off the ground I as a therapist would be mindful of the shame that they both might feel, and help them feel safe enough to talk about how they feel now and how they felt at the time of the videotaped abuse.
After we take the temperature of those two moments in time and connect them together, the couples therapy can them empower them using the fostering of emotional intimacy as the antidote to abuse.
Watch this video and learn how that process unfolds, so that abusive relationships are no longer an option.
AUTHOR OF ‘Now You Want Me, Now You Don’t! Fear of Intimacy: ten ways to recognize it and ten ways to manage it in your relationships.”
Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.
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Disclaimer: this video is for informational and educative purposes only. Dr. Raymond is not responsible for any reactions you may have when reading the content or using the suggestions therein. Interacting with this material does not constitute a therapeutic relationship with Dr. Jeanette Raymond
