Sync Your Relationship, Save Your Marriage - 9780230618145

When it comes to couples, the old saying that opposites attract is true: We seek out partners who complement our styles. She first found his fast pace exciting, his punctuality dependable, his future planning a sign of success; he found her slower tempo calming, admired her "devil may care" approach to keeping appointments, loved her ability to immerse in the pleasures of the moment. Yet once the sparkle wears off, contrasts in how lovers handle time turn into daily annoyances and sabotage the romance: she feels constantly rushed by him, he feels she's dragging her heels; she's tired of talking about five-year plans, he feels she's an irresponsible flake; he's always early, she's always late. Combined with the stresses of today's treadmill existence and having to be plugged into work 24/7, many couples find themselves out of sync with each other and, soon, falling out of love.

Award-winning couple therapist Peter Fraenkel argues that while we might fight over money, sex, housework, and kids, the underlying problem in most marriages is a rift in rhythm. Drawing on years of work with couples and original research, he explores how differences in rhythms, pace, time perspective, and punctuality can tear couples apart, and prescribes specific ways to get back on track. Couples will learn to:

-Reveal your dynamic rhythms

-Revalue your first spark of chemistry and the rhythms that worked

-Revise rhythms that no longer work

-Rehearse new rhythms to deepen your emotional bond and recharge your intimacy

In our stressed-out modern world, the old formulas for dealing with domestic issues no longer apply. Peter Fraenkel's groundbreaking work on the impact of time on our lives provides new insight for keeping our relationships and our lives in sync.