“Help we might as well be talking different languages!”
One section on my intake form is communication. This is often the part that causes the most discussion. Each person brings with them a different style of communication and it can often feel like our partner might as well be talking a different language!
If we start to feel like our partner is either not “hearing†or if we just can’t understand what our partner needs, things can start to fall apart. Couples find ways to short circuit the tension by avoiding certain subjects or by simply not talking. This leads to feeling disconnected or isolated in the relationship. It is often at this stage that I find a couples sitting in front of me for couples counselling. “We feel like we are drifting apart.â€
Communication is the cornerstone of every relationship. Surprisingly, whilst we live in a society that bombards us with multiple ways of communicating, we are not always very good at finding a way to be heard and have our needs met. We assume that our partner should simply know what it is that we need. There are many couples who have one partner saying “but I shouldn’t have to ask him, surely he should know what I wantâ€. Well this is where it all goes wrong. None of us are mind readers and this crystal ball thinking leads us straight to feelings of resentment, disappointment and isolation. What holds us back from asking for our needs to be met? Perhaps we believe that we have made our needs clear to our partners. Perhaps our partners are flaying around in the dark ever hopeful that they are fulfilling the needs they think they understand you have.
This is the very nub of the work we do. Truly coming to a co-created understanding of, not only how we meet each others needs, but also that we find what is in the best interests for the relationship. The process is about truly understanding each other, where do these needs come from and how can they be met whilst keeping in mind what it is that is in the best interests of the relationship. If we find a way of nurturing the relationship then we nurture ourselves.
So move aside mystic meg! It’s time for some communication that is truly meaningful and useful for your relationship, to meet everyone’s needs and so you can both start to talk the same language. The extraordinary thing is that it often only takes some small steps to turn a relationship into a truly connected one.
by Pam Custers SW19 MA Pg/Dip (RELATE) Accredited MBACP, listed counsellor/therapist
