Living in Seattle

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Normal Couples Argue


Normal Couples Argue

Leila and I have been trying to start a Couples Group where 4-6 couples meet each week for 8 – 12 weeks with the purpose of couples developing couple friends.

 Our experience has been that we meet with other couples, yet we never seem to talk about what’s really happening within our relationships. It’s almost like its “Taboo” to ask anything about someone else’s relationship. We believe that’s why so many couples feel so alone in their relationship.

Leila will meet with a woman friend and come home with hours’ worth of news.  When I meet with the husband, one on one, Leila always asks me on my return what I learned about the relationship, and I usually say, “We really didn’t talk about it.”  Leila will ask me if he said anything about his dying mother, I say, “no.”  “Did he mention the huge argument they had on their vacation?”  “Not a word.”

Later, when we meet this couple for dinner we talk about work, children, vacations and carefully inquire about the dying mother.

Why are couples so afraid to talk about the struggles in their relationship?  Why are couples living with the questions, “Are we crazy?  Is this normal? Is our relationship over because we argue and never agree?”

 One of the most difficult things couple face is isolation. Even couples that are actively involved in outside community’s and have close friendships, rarely have the opportunity to have a heart to heart as a couple with other couples and share the struggles they face.

 It is such a powerful experience when another couple mirrors for us the struggles we deal with in our relationship. It is then that we can say, “We are a normal couple. We are not crazy or broken, just facing a difficulty that is asking to be healed.”  


Leila and I see the relief and acceptance couples experience when we tell them we have gone through the same issues. “In fact, it was only 2 days ago that we had to deal with ______.”  What may be different for us is that, Leila and I have learned that it’s safe to argue. It is a safe way to get to a positive outcome.




 


 

#couplesargue, #relationships, #coaching, #marriage, #communication, #interpersonal, #dating, #love, #couples, #counseling, #alone, #argue

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Singling During The Holidays


Singling During the Holidays?



Saturday December 13 and 20
12 noon - 2 pm or 6 – 8 pm
At our Downtown Redmond Office, 98052

During this holiday season, do you find yourself avoiding social and family activities where there may be constant reminders that you are “alone”…?





 
Are you already feeling the dread of listening to Aunts /uncles /parents or friends ask about your current “dating status”…?
 
 
Are you single but you don’t want to be single anymore… or you are still telling yourself "All The Good Ones Are Taken" …?
 
 Please join us (Leila and Paul) for a group conversation and some
 
DIFFERENT “holiday cheer” in a safe and lighthearted environment about

 
“Being single during the holidays“ & learning how to move from a place of feeling stuck to a place of understanding and being “undefended” during the “Holiday Bliss & Blues.”
 
 
 This is not a “meet-up,” but rather a gathering of singles for inspiring conversation about singlehood, partnering and love in the 21st century. Some of the ideas we will discuss are:
 
What are we telling ourselves and others about why we are alone and what effect may this have on us getting what we want?

 
Is it possible that it's time to give up some relationship strategies that aren’t working and embody others that may lead to a satisfying relationship?
Why wait until New Years day to start something new?
 
What if we can use this holiday as a time to reflect and get clear on what we do want in a relationship?

What do I do with the fear that is holding me back from trying something new?

 
 
Activity is FREE of CHARGE but RSVP is required,


  email us at compassionate.relationships@gmail.com

 
 
 
Bring a single friend (or bring many!) REFRESHMENTS SERVED!

 
www.compassionaterelationships.org
 #holiday, #single, #love, #dating, #relationship, #relationships, #alone, #lonely,


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Institute of Compassionate Relationship



Paul Vlasuk and Leila Kozak


OUR PURPOSE...Is to bring understanding and compassion into intimate relationships 

We do not offer counseling or therapy. We offer mentoring and educational activities for you to learn relationship skills along with your partner/spouse that will make a difference in the way you and your partner experience your relationship. We are neither counselors nor therapists; we are a couple who have come a long way in their own healing and have a passion for teaching and supporting others to do their healing.  We are teachers and mentors. 
 
We have gone "through our hell and beyond," and by learning how to work through conflict, we have  an ongoing "healing relationship."

We believe everyone can develop a "healing relationship" - all you need is your willingness to transform what is not serving you both, to learn the appropriate skills and a commitment to healing the relationship by supporting each other's healing. 
 
During our healing journey, we were helped by a mentor who stood by us through the process and 'modeled' ways of listening and talking, showing us a different way of walking through painful conflicts and "stuckness." We now want to be there for others who are also seeking to bring healing into their relationships.
www.compassionaterelationships.org

























#relationships, #coaching, #marriage, #communication, #interpersonal, #dating, #love, #couples, #counseling