Polly Young-Eisendrath a psychologist and couples therapist who specializes in dialogue therapy says much of the stigma around May-December relationships comes from the assumptions about the power dynamics at play.
Pay Attention Interviews: Katherine Woodward Thomas: Remaining Conscious and Compassionate During Separation and Divorce
Katherine Woodward Thomas is a therapist and author of Conscious Uncoupling: Five Steps to Living Happily Even After. She and Polly engage in a spirited discussion about attachment, separation, and grief that are involved in uncoupling. Does your ex-partner have to be your enemy? The resistance and reality of using Katherine’s model and embracing the stages of uncoupling in a conscious manner.
6 Illuminating Reads About Relationships and Matrimony
The Common Complaints Wives Have About Their Husbands, According to Therapists
When there are problems in a marriage it can often be difficult for couples to speak plainly to one another. Maybe one partner doesn’t want to hurt the other’s feelings. Or maybe they need to work out their thoughts before bringing up specific points. However, there is a particular audience for which spouses will not hold back: therapists. Marriage and couples therapists regularly hear uncensored accounts of what’s happening in relationships because, well, it’s their job.
Think Act Be with Seth J. Gillihan, Ph.D.
Listen to Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. and Seth Gillihan, Ph.D. talk about the big ideas from her recent book, Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path. Polly presents an inspiring view of committed relationships—not at all an idealized view, as she acknowledges the challenges in sharing life with another person.
Psych Central Book Review: Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path
In her wedding vows for her second (or maybe third) marriage, my sister said, “…as long as this lasts” instead of “’til death do us part.” Was it wry and dark humor, or a pretty accurate reflection of how modern relationships play out? The American Psychological Associates notes that, in Western cultures, 90% of people marry by age 50, and 40-50% of those couples divorce. Divorce rates are even higher for subsequent marriages. Perhaps my sister’s vow reflected her own personal experience as well as an understanding of the landscape of our times.
Polly on VPR's Vermont Edition
Love can be a mystery. It can be confounding. But still we pursue it. With gusto. So on the holiday devoted to love, VPR host Jane Lindholm talks with psychologist and author Polly Young-Eisendrath about modern love, understanding how to communicate with your partner and creating a relationship of equals.
Bonnie Bright, Ph.D. for Pacifica Graduate Institute: Love and Relationships as a Spiritual Path in the 21st Century: A Jungian Perspective
Jungian analyst, Polly Young-Eisendrath talks with Bonnie Bright, Ph.D. in conjunction with Pacifica Institute. Personal love—that is, love that we feel within—has changed in the 21st century. In this day and age, we seek three very specific outcomes in our relationships that have not always been sought in “traditional” relationships.