Matt Townsend - Communication and Relationship Expert

Is Your Relationship Wearing Thin?
Have you ever felt emotionally worn out in your marriage? Have one or both of you have threatened to end it? Or, if you haven’t said it, maybe you have thought seriously about it. The problem is you still have strong feelings for each other, but you are starting to wonder if your marriage is simply "not meant to be."

Have Your Tried Everything, and Still No Change?
After the stress of marriage has gone on for years you’ve undoubtedly tried a variety of fixes, usually with the same lack of success. First, you probably tried talking to your spouse about changing his or her behavior only to see a couple of weeks of change before returning to old ways. Maybe you’ve talked to your church leaders, counselors, friends, or others about how to fix your marriage. Perhaps you’ve read some self-help books, watched Dr. Phil, or listened to Dr. Laura. You may have even tried marriage therapy a time or two, and yet still no lasting change. If this sounds like your approach to improving your marriage, then you have come to the right place. One of the reasons that the traditional approaches to improving marriages tend to fail is because couples don’t focus on the root issue. You see, most marriages are STARVED, meaning that virtually every marriage struggles at one time or another with the exact same seven unmet needs.

Answer the questions below to determine the health of your marriage. You can see if you are fully satisfied in your relationship or if you are experiencing symptoms of starvation:
 

If you answered NO to two or more of these questions, your marriage is showing signs of starvation—meaning that you or your partner are lacking some very basic needs, including feeling mutual safety, trust, appreciation, respect, validation, encouragement, and dedication. But don’t worry, not all is lost.

Most marriages at one time or another are STARVED.
And the problem with being STARVED is that you usually end up starving those around you. As a STARVED couple, you probably suffer stress consistently about money, ineffective communication, lack of understanding, children, sex, work schedules, home chores, in-laws, etc. etc. etc. Consider this fact: Being STARVED is the leading cause of every marital issue. For example, when you argue about money, the real issue is more likely to be an issue of trust or safety. When you argue about sex, you may really be trying to say that you want to be appreciated and validated. Townsend Relationship Center can help you learn how to feed, nourish, and grow a healthy, thriving marriage by teaching you how to build solutions around the real issues.