New Approaches to Marital Therapy: The Dance, the Bond, the Drama

This ebook draws from numerous articles and books including materials from Lachkar’s forthcoming book, How to Talk to a Narcissist (2nd Edition. New York. Taylor and Francis). It defines a beleaguered type of relationship between two developmentally arrested people who consciously and unconsciously stir up highly charged feelings that fulfill many early unresolved conflicts characterized by their painful interactions. Together they enter into a psychological drama with interactions that are painful, on-going, circular, without reaching conflict resolution. The revelation is that each partner needs the other to play out his or her own personal drama embedded in old sentiments projected into their current relationship. The psychodynamics of the couple along with three phases of treatment are integrated to an effective approach in the conjoint treatment of marital pathology. Living in an ever changing world this revision would not be complete without addressing cross-cultural relationships, dealing with high conflict disordered couples in the court system, and of course the defenses that keep couples away from love, intimacy and romance. (115 pgs)