Practice Of Being Seen

Couples come to therapy for a myriad of reasons. But often, the real reason why they’re showing up is the thing hidden underneath their reasons.  The solution is nearly always found in holding a magnifying lens up in those moments of conflict and, as this week’s guest Shake Birkel says, “owning our shit”. Suddenly, “Why is he/she doing this to me?” shifts into an opportunity to sit with our emotions and recalibrate our connections. Shane Birkel, a therapist and fellow podcaster, is no stranger to these magnifying glass moments.  Together, we discuss the ways raising kids can shift a relationship in positive ways, the lessons we get from failure, the differences in what men want in a relationship and what women want from the same, and the palpable ripple effects of the #metoo movement in our work with couples and intimacy. Quoted in the Episode: “We don’t have the conversations that come up in couples therapy in our day-to-day lives.  We have to be very intentional about setting up space for that.”  - Shane