Dear Dr. Romance: She cannot forgive all the hurt I have caused her

Dear Dr. Romance

I came across your name in an article on Yahoo titled "More Couples Sleeping Apart: Is This
Healthy?".  My wife and I have been together
since for over ten years, and  have 3 children. and my wife has a daughter from a previous relationship.  We have been seeing
a marriage counselor because my wife has been unhappy with me for years. Several months ago, she told me
she wanted a divorce. She claims that I pushed her away with my behavior (anger, mood swings,
etc.) and has fallen out of love with me. I begged her to stay. I promised her we would seek
counseling and that I would change my ways.

She has stuck around and has been telling me she
is trying to find it within her heart to want to continue with our relationship. A recent argument
has put us back to what feels like square one. She told me she is leaving to live her life without
me in it. I am desperate. I love my wife tremendously and I am willing to do anything and
everything it will take to save our marriage.

Counseling at this point does not seem to be helping
us. Lisa has said during counseling sessions that she doesn't understand how anyone can make
her love me again. I believe she truly wants to leave me for good but struggles within
herself when it comes to hurting me. I have been pouring my heart out to her constantly until she
made me promise to stop and to just give her some time and space.

I don't know who to turn to at this point. She has moved out of our bedroom and into the spare
bedroom for the third time now. Our youngest child for the second time has asked why mommy isn't
sleeping in our bed anymore. She cannot forget all of the hurt I have caused her. I feel like we
need strong intervention to help us heal the pain in our past so that we can start to rebuild our
relationship. 

Dear Reader:   From what you're telling me, I think couples counseling is not the right way to go. You need
counseling for your
"behavior (anger, mood swings, etc.) " As long as you have an anger problem, you won't be able
to sustain a relationship, with your wife or anyone else. I recommend you get individual
counseling immediately, and be serious about it. If you can't manage your own moods, emotions
and reactions, your wife will never reconcile with you.

 "Anger: Cleansing
Squall or Hurricane?" "Fair Fight Guidelines" and "How Not to Fight" will help you understand your anger and what to do about it.  "How to Be Irresistible to Your Mate" will give you what you need to try and repair things with your wife.  Couples counselors differ in expertise. I am not familiar with the one you're seeing, but if that
counselor hasn't insisted you get help for your anger and mood swings, then it's not the right
counselor for you. You need individual counseling.  Use the "Guidelines for Finding and Using Therapy Wisely" to find a counselor who will be very tough and
interactive if you want rapid change. The counselor should give you homework. If you fix this
quickly, you might have a chance to save your marriage. You may have waited too long, but at
least you can fix the problem so your anger doesn't destroy your next relationship.