How Therapist Bruce Tift Helped Me Have The Balls To Marry My Wife – SC 18
Bruce was one of THE pivotal factors in helping me marry my wife before she slammed the door shut on me. Hear that story in this episode and why it’s so common for couples to struggle. Bruce offers a powerful frame for relationship and intimacy and makes the distinction between the developmental work we need to do, and the possibility that we are “already free” in relationship. Check it.
SHOWNOTES:
- How Jayson met Bruce [1:15]
- “I give [Bruce] credit for saving my marriage” – Jayson [2:30]
- Start of interview [3:50]
- How does ambivalence factor into a long-term relationship? [6:15]
- The interplay of the basic energies of separation and connection [8:30]
[bctt tweet=”An intimate relationship is inherently disturbing – Bruce Tift”]
- Intimacy vs. Closeness [12:30]
- Bruce’s core philosophy [15:30]
- Relationship is like riding a bicycle…it’s all about balance [17:15]
Couples unconsciously collude or agree to maintain problems, because it gives each person a feeling of being solid and significant, even if it’s in a painful way. – Bruce [20:40]
- A good first step for couples stuck in an adversarial relationship – The practice of personal responsibility [21:31]
- Why it’s important to let go of claiming that your partner is the cause of your difficult emotions [23:50]
- Bruce shares about his marriage [26:00]
- Bruce shares his story of becoming a therapist [31:00]
- What is a “successful relationship”? [38:00]
[bctt tweet=”Relating to an intimate partner is guaranteed to force out into the open any unresolved issues we have – Bruce Tift” via=”no”]
- Bruce shares how parenting has impacted his relationships and his life [42:15]
- Having kids is a real good practice in how willing are we to let another person just be who they are. [45:40]
- Sexual intimacy in a long-term relationship [45:50]
- Approaching sexuality as a disciplined practice [50:30]
- Bruce talks about personal responsibility [54:40]
- Bruce shares about his new book Already Free – [1:00:00]
HELPFUL LINKS:
Soundstrue Interview with Bruce
10 Agreements of an Indestructible Marriage
ABOUT:
Bruce Tift, MA, LMFT, has been in private practice since 1979, taught at Naropa University for 25 years, worked in a psychiatric ward and as a family therapist with social services, and has given presentations in the US, Mexico, and Japan. A practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism for more than 40 years, he had the good fortune to be a student of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, and to meet a number of realized teachers. Bruce guesses he’s worked with between 3000 and 4000 couples over the years!
