Generic marriage-saving advice has no place in this book. Instead you will find a step-by-step, nuts-and-bolts approach to getting unstuck and making your marriage loving again.
In this ground-breaking book, Michele Weiner-Davis, MSW gives straightforward, effective advice on how couples can stay together instead of come apart.
Michele Weiner-Davis, MSW is an internationally renowned relationship expert, best-selling author, marriage therapist, and professional speaker who specializes in helping people change their lives and improve important relationships. Among the first in her field to courageously speak out about the pitfalls of unnecessary divorce, Michele has been active in spearheading the now popular movement urging couples to make their marriages work and keep their families together. She is the author of seven books including her best-selling books, DIVORCE BUSTING: A Step-by-Step Approach to Making Your Marriage Loving Again (Simon & Schuster), and THE SEX-STARVED MARRIAGE: A Couple’s Guide to Boosting Their Marriage Libido (Simon & Schuster).
Michele is the Director of The Divorce Busting® Center with offices in Boulder, Colorado and Woodstock, Illinois. In addition to her private practice, Michele is a highly acclaimed and sought-after speaker, known for her life-transforming, energetic and entertaining keynote addresses and seminars for both lay and professional audiences including Fortune 500 companies, universities, religious organizations, the military, professional organizations, and community agencies. She consistently ranks among top presenters at national conferences. Her extremely busy website, www.divorcebusting.com attracts thousands of visitors each day.
Ann was thoroughly convinced that her marriage of fifteen years was over. She believed she tried everything humanly possible to straighten things out between her and Steve. Nothing ever worked. The more she tried reasoning with him, the more unreasonable he became. Appealing to his sensitivity brought out only his insensitivity.
Years ago when their problems began, Ann thought, ” This is just a stage we’re going through.” But, now she knew she was just fooling herself. She sadly admitted that their marriage had gotten progressively worse, not better. As she reminisced about the past, she recalled nostalgically that, despite their difficulties, they occasionally shared good times. Recently, the constant war at home served as a painful reminder that much of what they had together appeared to be lost forever. To make matters worse, their battles had not gone unnoticed by their three children. Bedtimes had become fraught with tears, questions about divorce, unusual nighttime fears and anger.
Desperate for some answers, Ann reflected on what went wrong. Though things were never perfect, Ann thought the birth of Melissa, their oldest child, marked a turning point in their marriage. Initially, both Steve and Ann were ecstatic about their new baby, but their mutual joy was short- lived. Ann became totally immersed in motherhood as Steve spent increasing amounts of time with his buddies participating in whatever sport happened to be in season. At first, Ann frequently expressed her hurt and resentment about his long absences, but since Steve seemed unresponsive, she stopped trying.
Now, five years later, Ann and Steve appear more like roommates; separate bedrooms, few shared activities and, when not fighting, verbal exchanges limited to “Pass the salt.” After watching a talk show about women who feel lonely and alienated within their marriages, Ann saw a reflection in a mirror; she suspected that the camera crew secretly moved in and candidly filmed the story of their lives. She finally realized that struggles with Steve had reached life and death proportions. Simply, if she stayed unhappily married to Steve, she would die a slow and torturous death; if she divorced, she might live.
Read more about Michele Weiner-Davis at www.divorcebusting.com.
