Right now, are you fighting more frequently than you would like in your marriage? Do you wish you felt a sense of closeness and connection with your spouse? You wonder if working with a marriage counseling specialist and doing couples therapy can help you feel loved, special, and accepted again by your spouse? Are you on the brink of divorce due to hopelessness? Do you feel like your spouse is saying things intentionally that hurt your feelings? As well, do you wish you had more frequent sex and intimacy? Do you want to feel sexually alive and erotic with your spouse again? Are you feeling misunderstood, lonely, forgotten, or insignificant in your marriage and wanting your marriage to be more passionate and loving? The team of marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida specialize with distant couples who deeply want to build long-lasting love, trust, and passion again.
Your marriage can feel like one of the most painful emotional experiences when it is not going well. When you are in conflict, it can be incredibly upsetting. It might feel like you don’t have the tools to know where to start to break the cycle of disconnection.
After narcissistic abuse in childhood, you and your partner can improve upon your communication skills.
Everything turns into an argument or fight. However, with the help of a marriage specialist at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, you can feel close again. Your couples therapist in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, you can help you break the vicious cycle of intense conflict.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
The Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching couples and marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help all couples thrive.
Now, no matter your race, age, gender, ethnicity, relationship structure, or nationality, you might be getting into a high conflict fight cycle. We know that you need a professional couples therapist to understand complex trauma, and the impact of narcissistic abuse. And, we can give you healthy communication tools to better your marriage.
We do not discriminate. Our team of couples therapist to help all different couples no matter your age, race, gender, or if you love one or multiple people.
At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, our couples and marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida, are gay, lesbian, transgender, bigender, bisexual, questioning, intersex, queer, black, brown, biracial, cross dressing, and LGBTQIA+ affirming. We help monogamous and ethically non monogamous couples alike. No matter your age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, or nationality, our At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, our couples and marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida, would love to help you.
How can couples therapy help when I feel angry with my spouse all the time?
Couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching in Sarasota, Florida can be a valuable resource for addressing and managing anger within your marriage. To note, couples therapy can help when you’re feeling angry with your spouse:
The Marriage Therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida Offer A Safe and Constructive Environment
Couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching provides a safe and neutral space for both partners to express their feelings, including anger, without fear of judgment or retaliation. Your marriage therapist creates an environment that encourages open communication and ensures that both individuals have an opportunity to be heard.
Identifying Underlying Issues In Marriage Counseling in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida
Anger is often a surface emotion that masks deeper underlying issues within a relationship. A skilled couples therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching in Sarasota, Florida can help you and your spouse identify and understand the root causes of your anger, such as unresolved conflicts, unmet needs, or communication breakdowns. By addressing these core issues, you can work towards resolving them and reducing the anger between you.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Improve Your Communication Skills In Couples Counseling
Anger can sometimes stem from ineffective communication patterns, and from having parents who modeled unhealthy communication patterns. Couples therapy can teach you and your spouse healthier communication techniques, including active listening, assertiveness, and empathy. By enhancing your communication skills, you can express your concerns, frustrations, and needs in a more constructive manner, reducing the intensity of anger in your interactions.
Manage and Express Anger Productively
Couples therapy in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching can teach you and your spouse strategies for managing anger in healthier ways. Instead of suppressing or exploding with anger, you can learn techniques such as taking breaks, using “I” statements, and practicing self-soothing to express your anger in a productive manner. Learning these tools can help both partners navigate conflict and disagreements more effectively.
Building Empathy and Understanding
Couples therapy in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida aims to enhance empathy and understanding between partners. By gaining insight into each other’s perspectives and experiences, you can develop a deeper understanding of the underlying emotions driving the anger. This understanding fosters compassion and empathy, which can contribute to de-escalating conflicts and fostering a more harmonious relationship.
Developing Conflict Resolution Strategies
Couples therapy equips you and your spouse with effective conflict resolution strategies. The therapist can guide you in finding common ground, identifying compromises, and developing problem-solving skills. This enables you to address and resolve conflicts in a constructive and collaborative manner, reducing the frequency and intensity of anger in your interactions.
Remember, couples therapy is a collaborative process that requires active participation and commitment from both partners.
It provides a supportive framework for exploring the underlying issues contributing to anger and developing healthier ways of relating to one another.
With time, effort, and guidance, couples therapy with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida can help you and your spouse navigate anger and cultivate a more positive and fulfilling relationship.
If you are feeling lonely or upset, Longboat Key marriage therapy in Florida can help you create passion, trust, connection, and learn to validate each other.
When you come to couples therapy, your therapist will assess the various issues that are contributing to your fights. There can often be a number of different issues contributing to a high conflict or distressing fight cycle.
First, your marriage therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching will hear about your history. Your couples therapist will want to know about your upbringings.
If one or both of you had narcissistic or emotionally abusive parents, these traumatic experiences can leave a lasting impact. If your parents screamed at you and yelled at you, this is child abuse. Maybe, for punishment, you were locked in a closet for hours on end. Or, your parents forced you to kneel on rice for hours as a punishment.
Perhaps, your parents criticized and humiliated you in a public setting. Maybe, you came out as gay, bisexual, or lesbian, and your parents ostracized you and emotionally abused you. Various experiences of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse can deeply impact you into your adult ears. As a child, your parents may have hit you with a belt or even washed your mouth out with soap.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Enduring physically abusive and emotionally abusive experiences from your parents and childhood can lead to poor communication skills and a need to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida.
It is never your fault if you experienced abuse in your childhood. However, marriage therapy in Sarasota, Florida can be a safe place to playfully learn healthy communication skills. By learning healthy communication skills, you can break the generational pattern of conflict and pain. You and your spouse
The Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help couples talk about how the past plays into current fights.
How can narcissistic abuse from parents and impact conflict in my marriage?
Parenting plays a significant role in shaping your psychological development and emotional well-being. However, when parents exhibit narcissistic traits, the impact on their children can be detrimental. Narcissistic abuse from parents often leading to long-lasting effects on a child’s their ability to form healthy relationships.
Furthermore, narcissistic abuse from parents has a huge impact on marital conflict. In Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida, the team at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching help couples connect when they are stuck in conflict.
Talking about childhood trauma and how your parents treated you during your upbringing has a big influence in stopping your marital conflict.
Many times, experiences of sexual trauma, emotional trauma, and physical trauma can lead to intimacy issues and sexual issues in your marriage. For example, if you experienced any form of sexual trauma, or unwanted touch, or even unwanted exposure to sexual images, this can make intimacy and sex difficult in your marriage.
When you have had emotionally abusive parents with narcissistic traits, you may subconsciously be bringing these hurtful ways of communicating into your marriage. The team at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching can teach positive, effective, and loving ways to communicate to build the marriage you have been dreaming of.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching in Longboat Key, Sarasota, Florida we specialize in helping couples build meaningful connection and long lasting love.
Every couple has a pattern of negative interactions and fighting. Your Longboat Key, Sarasota, Florida couples therapist can better understand your pattern of conflict. Often times, we are bringing childhood dysfunctional patterns of communication into our marriages.
If you saw your parents withhold love, this might be some thing that you do subconsciously in your marriage. And, if you saw your parents be workaholics, you might naturally be a workaholic. As well, if you saw your parents get into high conflict fights, where they threw dishes or broke property, this may be an unhealthy behavior you want to stop.
Understanding Narcissistic Abuse In Marriage Therapy in Longboat Key, Florida
Narcissistic abuse refers to a systematic manipulation of control, and emotional exploitation. Parents can be narcissistic and abusive to their children. Notable, any one, your sibling, parents, friends, and even partner can have narcissistic traits. However, a narcissistic parent inflicts abuse upon their children.
When you grow up with a parent who has narcissistic personality traits, you suffer horrible forms of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. Narcissistic parents often exhibit a sense of entitlement. As well, you parent with narcissism had an excessive need for admiration.
Generally, parents with narcissistic personality disorder have a lack of empathy towards their children. Parents may engage in various forms of abuse, including emotional, sexual, verbal, and psychological tactics to maintain control over their children.
At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching in Sarasota, Florida, you can heal from narcissistic abuse. Couples who feel distant and alone and their marriage can learn how to develop empathy skills and emotional expression skills.
Studies show that empathy skills and emotional expression skills can create long lasting love, positive connection, and a deeper sense of trust in your marriage.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Impact of Narcissistic Abuse From Parents on Children
Children who grow up in a narcissistic household are often subjected to consistent emotional and psychological abuse. Such abuse can have far-reaching consequences on their emotional well-being.
Growing up with narcissistic parents has deeply impacted you into your adult years. You have negative memories and find yourself thinking about the pain your parents caused. Many times, having narcissistic, and emotionally abusive parents can hinder a child’s ability to form healthy relationships later in life.
Low self-esteem is an effect of narcissistic abuse
To note, growing up with a narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents means that you may have self-esteem issues. Being criticized and belittled every day can lead to low self-esteem. As a child, you may have wanted your parents to be proud of you.
Maybe, you got an A on his test at school and were very excited to show your parents. But, when you showed your narcissistic parents, they made you feel like you were not good enough. Your narcissistic parents emotionally abused you every chance they got. This made life very confusing.
Because you never received praise and were always criticized by your parents, you may have put your nose to the ground, learned how to be a caretaker for others, and even a workaholic.
Narcissistic parents often belittle and demean their children, leading to a diminished sense of self-worth and confidence.
As a result, adult survivors of narcissistic abuse may struggle with low self-esteem, self-doubt, and a constant need for validation. Perhaps, you overly apologize for things that are not your fault. This may be a behavior that you learned in childhood to survive living with your narcissistic parents. Working with a narcissistic abuse and emotional abuse specialists at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching can help you gain confidence.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Our marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help couples talk about healthy boundaries
When you grow up in an environment of narcissism, your parents may ask, and ask, and ask. Your parents never taught you healthy boundaries. Instead, your parents taught you how to put yourself last. This leads to emotional burnout and exhaustion. You are always forced into a giving role as a child.
As a child, you had to care for your narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents needs over your own. Your narcissistic parents were unable to put you first. Instead, you had to forfeit your childhood to put your narcissistic parents first. This can lead to a lack of boundaries.
Narcissistic parents often invade their children’s personal boundaries, treating them as extensions of themselves rather than autonomous individuals. This lack of boundaries can make it challenging for survivors to establish healthy boundaries in their future relationships, leading to conflict within their marriage. The Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida teach couples healthy boundary skills.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Where can healthy boundaries be helpful for fighting couples?
In childhood, you may have had to please your parents’ every wish. When your parents ask you to do something, saying “no” it was not an option or you would have faced physical and emotional abuse.
For instance, in your marriage, you might be afraid of your spouse’s reaction if you say “no.” Maybe, you say “yes” when you really mean, “no.” Perhaps, certain things that your spouse asks you to do causes you to feel resentful, used, or unappreciated. You just stuff these emotions away without communicating a healthy boundary that you are at your limit. This lack of boundary leads to conflict. Learning how to be honest with your communication and setting healthy boundaries such as for alone time is a part of couples therapy in Sarasota, Florida.
As well, when you were a child, growing up, you had to be the helper to your abusive, narcissistic parents. You may have had to help your narcissistic parents with physical issues and with their angry emotions. It was unsafe for you to have any emotion besides happiness as a child. You may have faced physical abuse and narcissistic abuse if you showed any emotion besides happiness or didn’t obey.
The marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching help couples communicate needs and feelings better
Now, in your marriage, it is a struggle to feel safe asking for help. But, you know you put too much on your plate without asking for help, when you really want your spouse’s help. You never got any help from your narcissistic parents growing up. So, learning to ask for help is actually a positive skill the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida can teach you.
You might always feel like you are on a hamster wheel and you might need help asking your partner for help. For instance, you might not know how to ask your spouse to cook dinner with you. Maybe, meal times and dinner times are very chaotic, stressful, and a time of fighting. Boundaries are a form of structure that can support self-care and lower anxiety.
Prioritize sex and intimacy through meeting with the Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida
Another area where fighting, distant couples do not have boundaries is regarding sex and intimacy. Children and pets may always be in your bed. Or, one of you is always on your phone, which blocks sex and intimacy. Or, you are sleeping apart after fighting, leading to intimacy issues. Perhaps, there is no scheduled time during the week for you to be intimate or sexual together.
Work seems to come first, sex falls to the back burner. Couples therapy can help to prioritize sex, intimacy, and rebuilding erotic desire.
You fight over sex and intimacy. So, boundaries can also be around intimacy and having scheduled alone time, rather than saying “yes” to every obligation you get invited to. At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help couples talk openly and honestly.
Growing up with narcissistic, emotionally abusive, and sexually abusive parents can lead to symptoms of emotional instability
Notably, growing up, you were always afraid of the instability in your narcissistic parents.
Were they going to throw a glass at you? And, were they going to flip the table of freshly made dinner? Or, were they going to grab the bottle of alcohol and get drunk? Were they going to come out you and hit you? Or, where are you going to have to protect your younger siblings and take the beating? Would your abusive, narcissistic parents slam your fingers in your bedroom door again? And, would they lie to you then next day, saying it didn’t happen? Would you be blamed for their narcissism? Walking on eggshells around your narcissistic, emotionally abusive parents growing up ca lead to emotional instability in your marriage.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Growing up in a narcissistic environment can cause emotional instability in children, into adult years and marriage therapy can help.
You may have develop anxiety, depression. Maybe, you or your spouse exhibit erratic emotional responses as a result of the constant emotional rollercoaster caused by their narcissistic parents. As a result, whenever you sense your partner is distressed or angry with you, you might be afraid all over again.
At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida, help couples create a calm, safe home environment.
With emotional coping strategies and trust building skills, couples therapy can help you create a calm home environment.
Childhood Abuse and The Impact on Marital Conflict
The impact of narcissistic abuse from parents can extend beyond the individual, affecting their ability to navigate conflict within their own marriages. Survivors of childhood narcissistic abuse can experience a variety of symptoms in adulthood, which impact married life.
Difficulty with Trust
Survivors of narcissistic abuse may struggle with trust issues in their adult relationships. Their early experiences of betrayal and manipulation can make it challenging to trust their partner’s intentions, leading to heightened conflict and difficulty in resolving disagreements.
Poor Communication Skills
Narcissistic parents often dismiss or invalidate their children’s feelings and opinions. Consequently, adult survivors may struggle with effective communication, finding it difficult to express their needs, desires, and emotions to their partner. This breakdown in communication can escalate conflicts within the marriage.
Covert Manipulation Tactics
Having witnessed their narcissistic parents’ manipulation tactics, individuals may inadvertently adopt similar strategies in their own relationships. These covert tactics, such as gaslighting or emotional blackmail, can intensify marital conflicts, leading to a toxic cycle of emotional abuse.
Emotional Triggers
Marital conflicts may trigger deep-seated trauma responses in survivors of narcissistic abuse. The unresolved pain from their childhood experiences can resurface during conflicts, leading to heightened emotional reactions and difficulty in finding resolution.
At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida, help through couples therapy. In couples therapy, you can understand the deep rooted elements of trauma regarding marital conflicts.
When you feel stuck walking on eggshells around your spouse, this experience often mirrors childhood abuse experiences. Couples counseling offers a safe place to talk about childhood abuse and emotions. Being able to talk with your spouse about the childhood abuse that you went through you can allow your spouse to develop empathy for your experiences.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
How can having a narcissistic parent lead to poor communication skills and more marital fights?
Notably, having a narcissistic parent can significantly impact your communication skills and contribute to increased marital conflicts. If your spouse grew up with narcissistic, emotionally abusive parents, this can also impact how they communicate with you.
Lack of Validation
Narcissistic parents often dismiss or invalidate their children’s feelings, opinions, and experiences. Growing up in such an environment, individuals may struggle to express themselves effectively in their romantic, adult relationships. You may fear that your thoughts and emotions will be disregarded or belittled by your spouse, like your narcissistic parents did in childhood. Often, lack of validation in childhood leads to difficulty in openly communicating needs and concerns to your romantic partner.
Limited Empathy Development
To note, narcissistic parents typically lack empathy. Also, narcissistic, emotionally abusive parents fail to acknowledge or understand their children’s emotions. As a result, children may not receive the emotional validation and support necessary for healthy emotional development.
If your parents did not show you emotional empathy, there’s no way for you to have learned the skill. Your parents treated you and dysfunctional ways, and that was not your fault. Now, in couples therapy, you and your spouse can learn empathy skills for a better marriage.
Lack of empathy can hinder a person’s ability to empathize with their partner’s perspective and needs. At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota Florida, teach empathy skills. When fighting, a lack of empathy skills makes it challenging to communicate and resolve conflicts effectively. Learning empathy skills can be a wonderful benefit of couples therapy in Longboat Key in Sarasota Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Manipulative Communication Patterns
Narcissistic parents often employ manipulative communication tactics to maintain control and dominance. Children growing up in such an environment may learn these patterns and unconsciously replicate them in their own relationships. These manipulative tactics, such as gaslighting, blame-shifting, or defensiveness, can escalate conflicts and create a toxic communication dynamic in their marriage.
Fear of Confrontation
Children raised by narcissistic parents may develop a fear of confrontation due to the negative consequences they experienced when expressing disagreement or asserting themselves. This fear can translate into avoiding conflict in their adult relationships, which leads to unresolved issues and resentment. The lack of open communication and avoidance of conflict can eventually result in more significant marital fights when unaddressed issues resurface.
Communication Styles
Narcissistic parents often exhibit controlling or authoritarian communication styles, where they dominate conversations and dismiss opposing viewpoints. Growing up in such an environment, individuals may struggle to develop healthy communication skills, including active listening, empathy, and assertiveness. These deficiencies can hinder effective communication in their marriage, leading to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and escalating conflicts.
Difficulty Trusting and Opening Up
Furthermore, narcissistic parents frequently breach trust and invade their children’s boundaries. This breach of trust from a narcissistic parent makes it challenging for individuals to trust others, including their partners. Children who have narcissistic parents may struggle to open up and be vulnerable, fearing potential manipulation or rejection. This lack of trust and emotional intimacy can contribute to communication gaps and marital fights, as important issues remain unresolved.
Address These Symptoms With The Marriage Therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida
Overcoming the impact of having a narcissistic parent on communication and marital conflicts requires intentional effort and healing. Here are some strategies that can help:
Self-awareness
Recognize the effects of narcissistic parenting on your communication style and be mindful of any unhealthy patterns you may have adopted. Self-reflection can pave the way for personal growth and healthier communication. Part of marriage therapy in Sarasota, Florida can be journaling and self-reflection skills.
Marriage Therapy or Couples Counseling
Seek professional help from the Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching therapists who are trained and experienced in dealing with narcissistic abuse. We can provide guidance, support, and strategies for improving communication skills and resolving conflicts within your marriage.
Consider couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching in Sarasota, Florida to address and work through the communication challenges in your marriage. Our trained marriage therapists are experts in narcissistic abuse recovery and can help facilitate productive conversations. Your couples therapist can also provide tools for effective communication, and assist you both in resolving conflicts in a constructive manner.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Communication Skills Training
Marriage therapy can help with enhancing communication skills, such as active listening, assertiveness, and conflict resolution.
Learning and practicing these skills can help improve your ability to express yourself and understand your partner’s perspective. Just like you learn to ride a bike, learn to swim, or even learn to play a new board game, learning communication skills takes the help of a good teacher. At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida love teaching healthy communication tools.
Setting Boundaries
Establish clear boundaries with your partner and communicate them openly. Learning to assert your needs and enforce boundaries can create a healthier dynamic in your marriage and reduce conflicts.
Having a narcissistic parent can have a profound impact on your communication skills and contribute to increased marital conflicts. However, by recognizing the impact of childhood trauma, seeking professional couples counseling help, you can heal. Fighting couples can learn about personal growth and healthy connection skills, which then supports a loving, meaningful marital bond.
How can working with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching help?
Your spouse may be completely unaware of the connection between your childhood trauma experiences and the current marital conflicts.
Essentially, your couples therapist can help your spouse better understand your emotional needs when you are feeling upset and angry. Your marriage therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching can help your spouse develop empathy and compassion for you and your trauma symptoms. As well, you can better understand the childhood abuse your spouse endured.
Your spouse can learn to talk about the ways in which their parents criticize them, belittle them, and exerted power and control. Instead of a power and control dynamic in your marriage, you can learn to express your emotions in a more clear and effective way.
Often times, marriage therapy can be the first time that you get an opportunity to learn healthy communication skills.
Narcissistic parents often teach abuse, dysfunction, and power and control. So, couples therapy in Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching can be the first time where you learn how to have an emotionally expressive and trustworthy bond.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Healing and Moving Forward With The Marriage Therapists In Longboat Key In Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching
Healing from the impact of narcissistic abuse requires self-awareness, therapy, and support from loved ones. Survivors need to recognize and address the effects of their upbringing on their romantic, adult relationships.
Seeking professional help, such as marriage therapy or couples counseling, at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, can provide invaluable guidance. The marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida can help you and your spouse in navigating the complexities of healing after trauma. You and your spouse can work towards building healthier relationship dynamics.
Marriage Therapy Helps Couples Build Meaningful Connection and Deep Intimacy
Narcissistic abuse from parents leaves a profound impact on the emotional well-being of children, which can extend into their adult lives and marriages. Understanding the effects of narcissistic abuse and its impact on marital conflict is crucial for breaking the cycle and fostering healthier relationships.
Through awareness, self-reflection, and professional support, survivors of narcissistic abuse can heal, grow, and build strong, fulfilling partnerships.
At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help you develop trust, respect, and mutual understanding.
In addition to Sarasota and Longboat Key, we help distant couples needing counseling for complex trauma from having narcissistic parents and building healthy communication tools in Sanibel, Naples, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Palm Beach, Melbourne Beach, Miami Beach, Pinecrest, Parkland, Key Biscayne, Rockledge, Palmetto Bay, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Lake Mary, Key West, Key Largo, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Pensacola, Miami Shores, Cape Canaveral, Coral Gables, Palm Coast, Niceville, Port Saint Lucie, Ponte Vedra, Pensacola, Coconut Grove, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Ocala, Winter Haven, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and St. Cloud, Florida.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
How to recover from narcissistic, emotionally abusive parents through marriage therapy?
To note, being in marriage therapy can help you address and talk about unhealthy childhood experiences and the trauma of having a narcissistic mother or father. Sharing about your trauma experiences can be helpful for your romantic partner as they can better understand your needs. Your Sarasota, Florida marriage therapist can help you talk about how the trauma symptoms that you experience.
And, you can share how having narcissistic parents still affects you to this day. As a result of learning about your trauma history, your spouse can respond in a different way to you instead of being angry. Overall, your spouse can learn to be sensitive to the trauma experiences you’ve had.
Recovering from the effects of narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents can be a challenging journey, but it is possible.
The marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help couples heal together from childhood trauma and narcissistic abuse.
Acknowledge the Abuse
Your marriage therapist in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida can help recognize and validate the abuse you experienced. At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, you can begin to understand that it was not your fault. Positive self-talk skills can improve self-worth. Also, your couples therapist can help you both know that you deserve healing and happiness. By learning healthy communication skills and empathy skills, you can both create a calm, loving, and abuse-free marriage. As well, the team of couples therapists can provide empathy, validation, and encouragement throughout your narcissistic abuse healing process.
Set Boundaries
Father’s Day another family holidays can be exceptionally triggering. These holidays may trigger an increase in anger, irritability, and anxiety that can impact and hurt your marriage. Couples therapy around these holidays can foster closeness and connection between you and your spouse, rather than disconnection. When your spouse understands that you were raised by narcissistic parents, they can be more patient and compassionate around triggering holidays.
The marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching help couples make these big decisions together. For instance, Mother’s Day may not be an exciting or positive holiday when you had a mother who is narcissistic or abusive. It might not feel safe to have your mother over to your house or in your home environment. Instead, you and your spouse can talk in couples therapy about how to set boundaries. FaceTimeing on Mother’s Day may be a healthy alternative. Or, you may choose to have brunch at a restaurant instead of at your house.
Establish and enforce clear boundaries with your abusive parents. This may involve reducing or cutting off contact if necessary for your well-being. Prioritize your mental and emotional health by protecting yourself from further harm.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Meeting with our marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching help couples practice self-care
The marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching help couples understand the value of self-care. Your spouse cannot be your only source of emotional support and your spouse cannot be your only emotional outlet. It is unhealthy if you take out your stress and anxiety on your spouse. Your spouse should never be your dumping mat. Often times, distant couples come to marriage therapy reporting that they feel dumped on, or unloaded on. This can lead to resentment, feeling unappreciated, and feeling used. Instead, couples therapy can help you develop positive coping strategies.
For your marriage to be happy and successful, each person needs to have their own self-care strategies.
Self-care tools allow you to release stress and anxiety in healthy ways. If you don’t have self-care tools, you might find yourself drinking too much alcohol, turning to pornography, or even coping in another unhealthy way. Overall, self-care strategies mean that you are taking the best care of yourself that you possibly can. Additionally, when you practice good self-care, you can bring the best version of yourself to create a healthy marriage.
Self-care practices might even mean cooking dinner together or grocery shopping together. Individual self-care practices are just as important as doing things together for your relationship.
Focus on self-care activities that nurture your mind, body, and spirit. Engage in activities that bring you joy, such as exercise, hobbies, meditation, therapy, or creative outlets. Prioritize your well-being and make self-care a daily practice.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Seek Professional Help After Fights Get Out Of Hand
Consider working with a marriage therapist or couples counselor at Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching who specializes in trauma and abuse recovery. We can provide guidance, support, and specific techniques to address the emotional wounds caused by your parents’ abuse. Fights get out of hand for deeper reasons that couples need help from marriage therapy to talk about.
Often times, when you experience painful emotions, hurt, and emotional neglect from narcissistic parents, you subconsciously want your spouse to feel loved and appreciated so badly. You might be feeling extremely lonely, hurt, and unimportant by things your spouse is doing.
Your spouse’s behaviors matter so much and have deep meaning because those are the same things that your abusive parents did to you. For instance, if you initiate sex and intimacy and your spouse rejects you sexually, this hurts. The hurt and low self-worth builds up over time. Now, this hurts so much because when you went to go hug or ask for affection from your narcissistic parent, they rejected you.
Your Wisdom Within Counseling couples therapist can help you see the patterns in your life and marriage. Overall, marriage therapy can help you vocalize your deeper needs, such as to feel loved and wanted vs. just arguing about sex. From there, your marriage therapist can help your spouse give you the love and attention that you deserve.
Don’t Compare
When you venture into marriage, our culture tells us that it is going to be perfect and easy. However, you never see high conflict fights being posted on Facebook. You only see the professional photos of a snapshot of a happy, amazing time, and couples tend to compare themselves to these images.
At Wisdom Within Counseling, couples therapy can help you create true meaningful connection through building healthy communication skills and sharing about your deeper needs.
Challenge Distorted Beliefs
Emotionally abusive parents often instill negative and distorted beliefs about yourself. Identify these beliefs and challenge them with evidence of your strengths, accomplishments, and inherent worth. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations.
Our Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida can teach you positive self talk skills. For instance, you might have received negative myths or have anxiety about different sexual experiences.
Gain Awareness Around Sexual Blockages
Often times, we grow up in a culture that tells us that sex is taboo, we shouldn’t talk about it, and therefore we develop sexual shame and guilt. Maybe, your parents sexually abused you.
Or, your parents caused you to feel humiliated when you began having an erection for the first time. Your parents did not create an accepting atmosphere around sex or intimacy. Perhaps, you were told to stay a virgin until marriage and abstain from sexual together or you would go to hell.
Due to sexual shame and guilt from not having positive sexual discussions with your parents, you might have intimacy issues in your marriage. Now, in your marriage, your partner is desiring oral sex. However, you feel anxiety and even a sense of disgust around giving oral sex. Not wanting to give oral sex is a much deeper issue that marriage therapy can help address.
Often times, feeling unable to do something sexual, is rooted in sexual shame and guilt. When your partner wants you to give them oral sex, you might have a blockage or an anxiety that comes up preventing you from giving oral sex. Talking about these negative beliefs from emotional abuse in childhood can be very helpful for a happy marriage.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Practice Self-Compassion
Be kind and compassionate towards yourself when you realize your mother and father were narcissistic and emotionally abusive. Recognize that healing takes time and that it is normal to have ups and downs along the way. Conflicts in your marriage are a great reason to reach out for couples therapy. Treat yourself with the same care and understanding you would offer a loved one.
Process and Release Emotions
Allow yourself to feel and express the emotions that arise from having narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents. Journaling, couples counseling, individual therapy, art, or talking to a trusted counselor can help. At Wisdom Within Counseling, you process and release emotions in a healthy and constructive manner, due to having narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents.
Learn Healthy Relationship Skills
Couples therapy can educate you about healthy relationship dynamics. At Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching, in Sarasota, Florida, we teach couples boundaries, effective communication, and self-empowerment tools. You can develop new skills and strategies to foster healthier relationships in all areas of your life. Marriage therapy helps your children learn better communication tools too.
Cultivate Self-Identity After Having Narcissistic and Emotionally Abusive Parents
Rediscover and explore your authentic self after having a narcissistic and emotionally abusive mother and father. Engage in activities that help you reconnect with your values, passions, and personal goals. Focus on building a life that aligns with your true self, independent of your narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents’ influence. Let go of trying to please them. You may never get the praise from your narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents that you want.
Remember, healing from having narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents is a personal journey. And, it may take time to recover from the effects of narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents. Couples therapy can help you and your partner interact in a more positive way than you saw modeled for you and your childhood.
Be patient, practice self-compassion, and celebrate each step of progress along the way.
With the help of Wisdom Within Counseling and Coaching in Sarasota, Florida, you can gain the strength and resilience to heal, grow, and create a healthier and happier future for yourself.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
How does conflict in my marriage impact sex and intimacy?
Conflict in a marriage can have a significant impact on sex and intimacy. If you are experiencing regular conflict, hurt emotions, or name-calling in your marriage, this can deeply impact your sex life.
Emotional Distance
Ongoing conflict can create emotional distance between partners. When there is unresolved tension, resentment, or anger, it becomes challenging to feel emotionally connected and intimate with each other. This emotional disconnection can directly impact the level of intimacy and desire for sexual intimacy.
Lack of Trust
Conflict erodes trust within your marriage and romantic relationship. Trust is crucial for vulnerability and opening oneself up to intimacy. When trust is compromised due to unresolved conflicts, it can create a barrier to engaging in intimate and sexual experiences with your partner.
Communication Breakdown
Also, conflict often results from breakdowns in communication. When partners struggle to effectively communicate their needs, desires, and concerns, it can spill over into the realm of intimacy. Difficulty in expressing desires or addressing issues related to sexual intimacy can lead to misunderstandings and frustration, impacting the overall sexual experience.
Stress and Tension
Conflict creates stress and tension within the relationship. Ongoing stress can affect your ability to relax, be present, and fully engage in intimate, sexual, and erotic moments. It can be challenging to feel sexually aroused or connected when there is a high level of unresolved stress and tension.
Negative Emotional States
Constant conflict can create negative emotional states, such as anger, sadness, or frustration. These emotions can linger and make it difficult to experience positive emotions, pleasure, and connection during sexual encounters. Negative emotions can override the ability to fully engage in the intimate and vulnerable act of sex.
Avoidance and Withdrawal
Conflict can lead to a pattern of avoidance or withdrawal from physical and emotional intimacy. When conflicts are left unresolved, one or both partners may try to avoid situations that could potentially trigger more conflict. This can include avoiding sexual intimacy altogether, leading to a further decline in sexual connection and satisfaction.
In marriage therapy, you can talk about sex and get comfortable talking about intimacy.
You might need to learn emotional intimacy skills as a foundation for having a healthy sex life. Learning to talk about your sexual fantasies, what turns you on, and ways to build sexual desire are all benefits of couples therapy.
Our marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida help couples build emotional intimacy and rebuild their sexual energy, passion, sex drive, and erotic desire too.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida for meaningful connection and conflict resolution tools.
Rebuild your sex life and intimacy by healing from conflict with the help of the marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida
Open Communication
Focus on improving communication within your relationship with our marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida. Couples can engage in open and honest conversations about needs, concerns, and desires. Talking can be related to both conflict resolution and sexual intimacy. We offer specific strategies to rebuild trust and connection.
Cultivate Emotional Connection
Engage in activities that foster emotional connection and bonding outside of conflict. This can include quality time together, engaging in shared interests, or practicing acts of kindness and appreciation towards each other.
Practice Emotional Regulation
Learn techniques to manage and regulate your emotions during conflicts. Your couples therapist can teach you deep breathing exercises, mindfulness practices, or taking breaks to calm down before addressing issues. Emotional regulation can help prevent conflicts from escalating and impacting intimacy.
Prioritize Intimacy
Make a conscious effort to prioritize and nurture your sexual and intimate relationship. Set aside time for intimate moments, explore each other’s desires and boundaries, and prioritize the emotional and physical connection between you.
Remember, addressing conflict and rebuilding intimacy takes time and effort from both partners. It’s important to approach these challenges with patience, empathy, and a willingness to work together towards resolution and a healthier, more satisfying intimate relationship.
Our marriage therapists in Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida support just did a couples in reducing conflict, exploring intimacy, and rebuilding a passionate sex life.
You don’t have to feel stuck in a business mood or roommate mood any longer. Couples counseling gives you the space to rebuild intimacy and have an amazing, pleasurable sex life.
When you are getting stuck in a conflict cycle in your marriage, this is typically due to having narcissistic, emotionally abusive and neglectful parents.
Being able to talk about your abusive upbringing can be a healthy part of couples therapy. Your partner may have no idea why you are feeling emotionally upset or triggered. Talking about how your parents were narcissistic and the trauma you’ve experienced can help give your partner perspective. When your partner learns about your trauma triggers, they can more delicately and sensitively respond.
As a result of building emotional intimacy skills and communication strategies, you can have a more passionate and alive sex life.
Intimacy means that you and your partner get to have deep moments of connection and bonding. Marriage therapy can be a safe place to talk about different sexual fantasies, sexual urges, and sexual anxieties too.
