Relationship Rescue: A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner

Relationship Rescue: A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner

by Phillip C. McGraw PhD
Relationship Rescue: A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner

Relationship Rescue: A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner

by Phillip C. McGraw PhD

Paperback(Reprint)

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Overview

Now in paperback! "The #1 self-help book for 2000" (USA Today) and the #1 New York Times bestseller, with 1 million copies in print.

After successfully helping hundreds of thousands of people take responsibility for their own actions, Dr. Phil McGraw now turns his expertise to the primary area of concern troubling most people: their relationships. In his tell-it-like-it-is style that already has influenced millions of Oprah viewers, "Dr. Phil" blows the whistle on the rhetoric of traditional "couples therapy" and instead tells you that—no matter what state your relationship is in—not only are you responsible for it, you are responsible for getting it back on track. By doing this, he offers readers the chance for further happiness through meaningful, fulfilling relationships that work.

Dr. Phil McGraw sets the record straight on the most popular myths about what a good relationship is supposed to be, such as:

  • Myth #1: A great relationship depends on a great meeting of the minds
  • Myth #6: A great relationship lets you vent all your feelings
  • Myth #7: A great relationship has nothing to do with sex

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780786885985
Publisher: Hachette Books
Publication date: 09/19/2001
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 302
Sales rank: 234,273
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range: 13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Dr. Phil McGraw is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters; Relationship Rescue: A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner; Self Matters: Creating Your Life From the Inside Out; The Ultimate Weight Solution: The Seven Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, and his most recent book, Family First: Your Step-by-Step Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Ultimate Weight Solution Coookbook: Recipes for Weight Loss Freedom as well as The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide. His books have been published in 37 languages with over 22 million copies in print. Dr. Phil has a B.S, M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from North Texas State University with a dual area of emphasis in clinical and behavioral medicine. He has been a board-certified and licensed clinical psychologist since 1978, and appears on his nationally syndicated daily one-hour series, Dr. Phil. He lives in Los Angeles with Robin, his wife of 28 years, and their two sons, Jay and Jordan.

Read an Excerpt

RELATIONSHIP HEALTH PROFILE

Let's take an overall look at your relationship. The following is a broad questionnaire, a true/false test that includes items relevant to the health of you and your relationship. Again, be honest and go with your first reaction. Do not spend an excessive amount of time debating any one item.

Circle either True or False for each item.

1. I am satisfied with my sex life. True False
2. My partner doesn't really listen to me. True False
3. I trust my partner. True False
4. I feel picked on and put down. True False
5. I am hopeful about our future. True False
6. It is not easy to share my feelings. True False
7. My partner often says, I love you. True False
8. Sometimes I feel rage. True False
9. I feel appreciated. True False
10. I am out of control. True False
11. My partner is there for me in hard times. True False
12. My partner is harsh in his or her criticism. True False
13. My partner understands me. True False
14. I fear my partner is bored. True False
15. My partner doesn't like to share what's on his or her mind. True False
16. I imagine myself divorced. True False
17. My relationship is what I always dreamed of. True False
18. I know I am right. True False
19. My partner treats me with dignity and respect. True False
20. My partner is a taker. True False
21. We often do fun things together. True False
22. Sometimes I just want to hurt my partner. True False
23. I feel loved. True False
24. I would rather lie than deal with a problem. True False
25. We still have a lot of passion in our relationship. True False
26. I am trapped with no escape. True False
27. My partner thinks I am fun to be with. True False
28. Our relationship has gotten boring. True False
29. We enjoy going out on dates alone. True False
30. My partner is ashamed of me. True False
31. We trust each other a great deal. True False
32. We have become nothing more than roommates. True False
33. I know my partner will never leave me. True False
34. I am no longer proud of my body. True False
35. My partner respects me. True False
36. My partner constantly compares me to others. True False
36. My partner constantly compares me to others. True False
37. My partner still finds me desirable. True False
38. We just seem to want different things. True False
39. I am allowed to think for myself. True False
40. I feel crowded by my partner. True False
41. I am honest with my partner. True False
42. People have no idea what our relationship is really like. True False
43. My partner is open to suggestions. True False
44. My partner has shut me out. True False
45. My partner is my primary source of emotional support. True False
46. I feel judged and rejected by my partner. True False
47. My partner cares if I am upset or sad. True False
48. My partner treats me like a child. True False
49. My partner puts our relationship ahead of all others. True False
50. I'll never satisfy my partner. True False
51. My partner wants to hear my stories. True False
52. I chose my partner for the wrong reasons. True False
53. I look forward to our time together. True False
54. My partner thinks I am boring in bed. True False
55. My partner is lucky to have me. True False
56. My partner treats me like an employee. True False
57. I win my share of disputes. True False
58. I envy my friends' relationships. True False
59. My partner would protect me if necessary. True False
60. I am suspicious of my partner. True False
61. I feel needed by my partner. True False
62. My partner is jealous of me. True False

Now go back over your test and count all of the even-numbered questions to which you answered True. Write down the total. Now go back and count all of the odd-numbered items to which you answered False. Add that number to your True total to get your overall score.

Even-numbered "True" responses:

Odd-numbered "False" responses:

OVERALL TOTAL:

This test is designed to give you a quick snapshot of the health of your relationship. If your overall score is above 32, it is likely that your relationship is in extreme danger of failing. If your total score is between 20 and 32, then your relationship is seriously troubled and you may be living an emotional divorce. If your total score is between 12 and 19, then your relationship is probably about average (which is not great) and certainly needs work. If your score is below 11, then your relationship is well above the norm and may have isolated areas in which you can improve.


THE RELATIONSHIP BEHAVIOR PROFILE: YOUR PARTNER

Here are ten questions that will help organize and guide your thinking about why you feel the way you do about your partner. If some of your answers are the same to each question, that's okay. Use your journal, if you wish, to help you better understand your feelings.

  • List five instances of your partner's loving behavior toward you during the last month.
  • List five instances of unloving or hateful things your spouse has done to you during the last month.
  • List and describe your partner's five best qualities.
  • List and describe your partner's five worst qualities.
  • List five things which you have asked or scolded or nagged your partner to correct or improve, but which your partner has not corrected or improved.
  • List five things that made you fall in love with your partner
  • List five things that today would make you fall out of love with your partner.
  • Describe your partner's sexual relationship with you, paying particular attention to your partner's:
  • Pattern of initiation
  • Frequency
  • Quality
  • Problems
  • Describe your partner's tendency or lack thereof to focus on you, paying particular attention to:
  • Desire for being physically close
  • Desire to talk with you one-on-one
  • Desire to spend time alone with you
  • Desire to protect you or comfort you during times of need
  • Desire to please you
  • Do you look forward to seeing your partner at the end of a day? If not, write in your journal the reasons why. Be as specific as possible. If your partner complains about the way the house looks, write it down. If it's a look on your partner's face, write that down. If it's because you feel you have to invent conversation to make things pleasant between the two of you, write that down too.


THE RELATIONSHIP BEHAVIOR PROFILE: YOU

That was the easy part. Now here are ten similar questions that you absolutely must answer with total honesty and candor to help organize and guide your assessment about the way you think about yourself, and about the way you and your partner relate. These are questions that you might not think to ask yourself, so consider them carefully. Resolve right now that you are not going to lie to yourself. Propel yourself to deal with the truth about yourself, even if it hurts. Prepare your heart and mind to be open rather than defensive. It is cowardly to blame, and it is cowardly and self-destructive to be in denial. Use your journal, if you wish, to help you understand why you feel the way you do.

  1. List five instances of loving behavior toward your partner during the last month.
  2. List five instances of unloving or hateful things you have done to your partner during the last month.
  3. List and describe your five best qualities.
  4. List and describe your five worst qualities.
  5. List five things which your partner has asked or scolded or nagged you to correct or improve, but which you have not corrected or improved.
  6. List five things that made your partner fall in love with you.
  7. List five things that today would make your partner fall out of love with you.
  8. Describe your sexual relationship with your partner, paying particular attention to your own:
    • Pattern of initiation
    • Frequency
    • Quality
    • Problems
  9. Describe your tendency or lack thereof to focus on your partner, paying particular attention to:
    • Desire for being physically close
    • Desire to talk with your partner one-on-one
    • Desire to spend time alone with your partner
    • Desire to protect or comfort your partner during times of need
    • Desire to please your partner
  10. Does your partner look forward to seeing you at the end of a day? If no, write in your journal the reasons why. Be as specific as possible. If you tend to complain to your partner about the day you've had soon after you see your partner, write that down. If you tend to have a stressful look on your face when you see your partner, write that down. If it's because you feel a sense of dread upon the sight of your partner, write that down too.

I hope this test helps you understand that fixing a relationship means a lot more than fixing your partner. In fact, as I will insist over and over throughout this book, there is no need for you to approach this rescue mission from the perspective of straightening your partner out. Trust me, you've got a lot of work to do yourself. This is not about winning out over your partner; this is about winning for the relationship.

You will also hear me frequently say throughout this book that you must approach your relationship with a willingness to own your part of the problem. Whatever your partner repeatedly does in your relationship, he or she does it at least in part because of how you respond. You teach your partner how to treat you--or how to continue treating you--by the way you respond. You either elicit, maintain, or allow the behavior by your own responses. If, for example, your partner takes certain excesses in the relationship or is consistently rude and insensitive, I promise you he or she has learned that such behavior is acceptable because of the way you have responded. You may in fact have actually rewarded your partner for such behavior by giving in, abandoning your position, or by getting so upset that you no longer can express adequately what you feel and believe.

Acknowledging your own problems can be most refreshing when you realize that at last you are getting real about what is going on. I am betting you will find that that willingness to take a non-defensive look at yourself can and will be inspiring to your partner.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgmentsix
Prologue: Get Real: Reconnecting with Your Core1
1It's Your Time; It's Your Turn5
2Defining the Problem23
3Blowing Up the Myths46
4Eliminating Your Bad Spirit76
5Reclaiming Your Core: The Personal Relationship Values112
6The Formula for Success146
7Reconnecting with Your Partner192
8Fourteen Days of Loving with Honesty213
9Red Alert: Relationships Are Managed, Not Cured248
10The Doctor Is "In"266
Conclusion: A Personal Letter from Me to You295
Appendix301
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