Marriages and romantic relationships take a lot of work, and it is hard to know what to do when we don’t feel the relationship is as satisfying as it could be.  Luckily, there is a researcher named John Gottman who has spent decades studying love and marriage scientifically and has developed a list of traits of what happy marriages look like and how to build these traits in your marriage.  This is called “The Sound Relationship House.”   With the help of a trained therapist, couples can develop these skills to enhance their own relationship.

The first thing that must be developed in the Sound Relationship House is trust and commitment.  These are the foundation of the house that must be in place to add anything else and these are also the first things addressed in therapy with couples.  After this foundation is in place, Love Maps can be built and enhanced.  According to Gottman, “The Love Map is a road map of one’s partner’s inner psychological world.”  This means really knowing your partner’s inner world: their likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, stressors, triumphs, etc.  Sometimes in relationships our love maps become outdated, and we need to update them.  This leads to a deeper bond and further understanding of our partner and ourselves.  These are developed through various exercises in therapy and starts the process towards better satisfaction and intimacy in a relationship.

If you and your partner would like to learn more about enhancing your relationship by building a sound relationship house and start developing your Love Maps, call Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with a Counselor.