The Relationship Skills Workbook

Book excerpt: Course objectives: Recognize relationship as an emotional healer; identify triggers, move through them, and come back into ease and alivenessDiscover how intimacy in relationship requires curiosity, wonder, and the ability to find the truth of one's experience deep in one's bodyDiscuss how to speak the "unarguable truth"; utilizing the eight step moving emotions process—moving from stuckness into emotional flowDefine three toxic habits within relationships and their antidotes—transforming our own behavior, as well as those around us through positive attentionSummarize how to move out of power struggles within relationships and into agreements which allow everyone to get everything they wantDiscuss how to live within the relationship you really want moving between contractiona and expansiveness—welcoming appreciations, creativity, play, aliveness, as well as love for self and otherUtilize checklists, tools, and journaling exercises as a way to engage, reflect and explore relationship skills and self-growth What are the ingredients of a successful and enduring relationship? Love, passion, and commitment are all vital—yet without certain basic skills, even the most devoted partners can find themselves descending into arguments, power struggles, and disillusionment. With The Relationship Skills Workbook, Dr. Julia Colwell presents a practical guide for building a conscious partnership based on cooperation and trust—offering relationship-saving techniques and on-the-spot conflict resolution tools for disarming the explosive clashes that most commonly break couples apart. In this friendly and easy-to-use resource, Dr. Colwell teaches you essential tools for: Crisis and conflict first aid—communication strategies and emotional mastery techniques to stop arguing and start connectingGetting unstuck from power struggles—how to shift from deadlock to mutual responsibility and supportEnding the blame game—letting go of accusation and resentment to create win-win agreementsSupporting each other's growth and success—how to retain your personal autonomy while fully committing to your partner's happinessMoving from reactivity to creative solutions—techniques to keep your brain's flight-or-fight instinct from undermining your heart's desiresSustaining love, passion, and romance—how you can choose to create a magnificent relationship together "Relationships, while seemingly complicated, don't have to be so mysterious," Dr. Colwell says. "What I've learned from my decades of personal and professional experiences is that a few elegantly simple concepts and skills can help any couple through the most difficult spots—and help us transform conflict into intimacy, passion, and ever-deepening love."