Every committed couple strives to hold on to the marriage they envisioned back when they first said “I do”–before kids, mortgages, and all of life’s inescapable issues seemed to get in the way. But the truth is this: conflict about these issues is unavoidable. What typically results are two spouses feeling forced to compromise themselves in order to just get along and keep it together. Eventually couples start “screaming” at each other–sometimes literally yelling out loud, sometimes shutting themselves down and shutting their partners out.
In The Self-Centered Marriage, therapist and bestselling author Hal Runkel introduces some radical new concepts about marriage, teaching couples how to embrace their separate selves as a profound vehicle for strengthening a marriage. Every great marriage is a self-centered marriage because it’s a bond between two whole, centered people. Calmly focusing on your own behavior, choices, and moods—which you can control—rather than your spouse’s—which you cannot—is the first step toward creating the relationship you really crave. Using accessible anecdotes and disarming humor, Runkel disproves prevailing marital wisdom and reveals a revolutionary path for spouses to be fully themselves, and fully married, at the same time.
Author
Hal Runkel, LMFT
HAL RUNKEL is one of the world’s most trusted resources for life improvement. His practical wisdom on relationships, conflict, and leadership helps thousands of people around the world enjoy calmer, happier lives. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, registered conflict mediator, and internationally acclaimed speaker, Hal is the New York Times bestselling author of ScreamFree Parenting, ScreamFree Marriage and Choose Your Own Adulthood. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their two launching adults, Hannah and Brandon, just outside Atlanta, Georgia.
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Jenny Runkel
Jenny Runkel has been creating, editing, and publishing dynamic content for more than 15 years. She has worked as a director of content at the ScreamFree Institute for more than four years, and as an AP English teacher in high schools for more than ten. She writes often in a variety of publications on women’s relationship issues, reaching a weekly audience of fifty thousand readers.
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