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All advice in this website is given in good faith and no responsibility can be accepted by the website owners for issues or problems that occur as a consequence of using the website content. If you have any concerns about your psychological health you are advised to contact a doctor or other suitably qualified medical/psychiatric practioner.
© P.J.Granger 2012
The Stages of a Relationship
All relationships evolve naturally through these four key stages. It is crucial that you recognise these
phases so you can work through them to find true and lasting love. (Click images to review each stage)
1. Honeymoon |
2. Power Struggle |
3. Dead Zone |
4. Partnership |
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You fall in love. |
Your needs and insecurities gradually appear. You begin to upset and hurt each other. |
Your hearts close and you stop stop feeling your emotions to protect yourselves from pain. |
You break through the Dead Zone and re-open your hearts. |
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More about the... Partnership Stage
If you reach Partnership you will have returned to the first stage, the Honeymoon, but this time you experience True and Lasting Love because you and your partner are actively healing your needs and insecurities. This is not a dream - it can be yours if you are willing to work with your partner on the emotional issues that cause you to have Power struggles or close down your hearts and withdraw from each other in the Dead Zone.
..pitfalls
- Ironically, as your partnership gets stronger you may face periods of doubt about your relationship and about who you are. You may feel like giving up on the relationship or going back into the Dead Zone.- As you move into partnership you will become a natural leader and be called to help others. You might not think you are up to this, but it is the best way to continue your emotional development.
- You may find your 'new self' quite powerful and again this might frighten you. You may not feel worthy of all the happiness!
...the way through
By always choosing to move towards your partner with a feeling of love and compassion, even when they are in pain or behaving badly, allows the insecurities and fears that you both have to rise to the surface for healing. This is where you become the leader in your relationship and return to a state of love and connection. It is about making your partner's problems more important than your own - it is an act of true love. You may have to move towards your partner in this way, time and again, as many layers of pain might come up from deep within your mind. However, each time you do this, you will experience a new honeymoon stage.
Relationships are rarely fairy tales - you must be willing to continually work at them. If you have the courage to do this, then the rewards are assured.
Remember - If you are feeling negative feelings or difficulties in your relationship, always move towards your partner and join with them with feelings of forgiveness, love and compassion - do this with an open heart and it never fails.
My book Lovecoach describes all the Stage of a Relationship in detail and will show you how to navigate each stage successfully to reach partnership and true love. The ideas within my book challenge conventional approaches to love and relationships, but I promise you they are incredibly effective. (read the first Chapter for free) |
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These stages are based on the model for relationships originally developed by Susan Campbell in her book The Couple's Journey (1980) and adapted by Dr. C. Spezzano - go to model description
who might find it useful
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