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Browse published articles attributed to Paul Friedman, with full-archive search.
When we find who we think might be the right one for marriage, we are never sure (unless we are sure) if our choice is correct. We bring them to our parents for dinner, we introduce them to our friends and we watch how other people react to them on dates, especially at restaurants. If we are ...
The dynamics of a breakup Relationship advice for those who are breaking up is still useful for getting a marriage back together. It should be known, however, that when both want to recapture the relationship it is an easier process. Most often a relationship can be saved even when there is ...
During my live practice as a mediator, I focused on bringing marriages back together instead of helping people get a divorce; approximately 50% of the calls I received were from men. Interestingly, men seemed to be more desperate and at the same time resigned to the reality that their marriage ...
Counseling is a very broad term. Most people generally think of psychotherapy and psychology as the realm of relationship counseling. They don’t realize the focus of psychology is on diseases of the mind and testing for those diseases. It is my understanding that actual family counseling is ...
Plan your life and plan to love The love you feel for each other is just the beginning. It gets better every day, And here is how! Forget those people who tell you how your love and passion will take a back seat to the so called realities of life. What do they know! Just because “everybody” ...
For a lot of people the term “happy marriage” has become an oxymoron. Even when I was a kid, we were listening to jokes on TV that made marriage seem like a battlefield instead of a refuge of peace in a battlefield world. The truth of the matter is that ignorance reigned. While ...
The effort required to learn how to be happily married is microscopic compared to the suffering that comes from getting a divorce. If you start cutting down trees in a forest, at some point the forest is no longer anything other than a clump of trees. Where the forest is a very special ...
No, I'm not trying to be cheeky. Honest! Marriage counselors are good people. You like everyone else, do your best with what you know, but it's still a struggle for you to have a happy relationship because what makes a marriage work is not generally known. Western psychology is meant to identify ...
When I sought to help married couples, it was because of my experience with the family law court system. I saw for myself how destructive it is for families and our society. It is like a predatory virus. As soon as you’re exposed to it, the door is open for tremendous suffering. It has ...
Although a woman’s mind is a mystery to both men and women, a woman’s heart is divine. Her heart, when open, spreads a joy that is felt by all in her presence. Our society is getting better at understanding the true strength and power of women, but much remains to be learned. There are still ...
Most newlyweds these days go on their honeymoon in order to celebrate the beginning of their new family. It is a wondrous occasion and this simple relationship advice will help you celebrate and remember it. Keep in mind this is too important a beginning to be like any other vacation you'll ever ...
There is a really cool story about a guy in heaven who went to visit an old friend of his who, unfortunately, landed in hell. He was completely surprised to find that the underworld had all the amenities you would expect to find in a great leisure community. His friend was so happy to see him. ...
The destabilization of our current economy is the result of selfishness and greed. A huge number of people participated in what turned out to be a drunken party. Now that it is over, it is time to clean up and start again. I feel deeply for all who will suffer and offer this relationship ...
If the divorce rate tells us anything it is that women have not chosen their life mate well. I have listed the three most common errors that women make. Don’t become a divorce statistic. See if these common errors would be the ones you would make. 1) Is he drop-dead gorgeous? If he is ...
You have welcomed a new person to grow up in your family. You have in fact changed your family forever and it no longer belongs to just the two of you. Through your generosity and love you have opened your hearts and home and expanded yourselves to include your children. What you have done is ...
Warning: This Article is for Those who are Having Second Thoughts soo After the Wedding and are Not Pregnant and Don’t Have Childre If you’re wondering what you just did by getting married to this almost total stranger you are, unfortunately, not alone. Way too many people jump the gun and ...