The High Conflict Couple

Some couples need more than just the run-of-the-mill relationship advice to solve their problems in love. When out-of-control emotions are the root cause of problems in a relationship, no amount of effective communication or intimacy building will fix what ails it. What these "high-conflict" couples need is help regulating the emotions that provoke the "escape or win" mode of interaction that has come to define them.

In this book, a noted expert in the use of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in couples' therapy adapts this powerful set of emotion regulation tools. Using mindfulness and distress tolerance techniques, you'll learn how to deescalate conflict situations before they have a chance to flare into serious fights. Other techniques help partners in a relationship disclose their personal fears and vulnerabilities and validate one another's experiences. Ultimately, you'll learn how to manage problems with negotiation, not conflict, and how to find true acceptance and closeness with your partner.