Relationships

Evidence-based relationships practices.

37 concepts in this area — each broken into concrete practices with the real mechanism, an honest read on the evidence, and how to practice it with IX Coach.

• Active-Constructive Responding, Made Practical — How you respond to good news matters: what is active-constructive responding?
• Attachment Theory, Made Usable — What is attachment theory, and can you change your attachment style?
• Bids for Connection: The Small Moments That Make or Break Relationships — What are bids for connection in relationships, and why do they matter so much?
• Closeness-Communication Bias — Why do we communicate worse with close relationships and how do you fix it?
• Crucial Conversations, Made Practical — How do you handle high-stakes conversations without making them worse?
• Differentiation of Self: David Schnarch’s Framework for Passionate Marriage — What is differentiation of self in relationships and how does it improve intimacy?
• Emotionally Focused Therapy: Sue Johnson's Framework for Lasting Bond Repair — What is emotionally focused therapy (EFT) and how does it work to repair relationships?
• Forgiveness: The REACH Model — How do you actually forgive someone using the REACH model?
• Generous Interpretation — How does assuming charitable intent change your relationships, and why is it so hard?
• Hold Me Tight: Sue Johnson's Seven Conversations for Lasting Love — What are the Hold Me Tight conversations, and can they actually improve a relationship?
• Holding Space — What does it actually mean to hold space for someone, and how do you do it?
• Love Maps: Knowing Your Partner's Inner World — What is a love map in relationships, and why does knowing your partner deeply matter?
• Mating in Captivity: Sustaining Desire in Long-Term Relationships — How do you sustain desire and erotic connection in a long-term relationship?
• Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Made Practical — What is nonviolent communication and how do you actually use it?
• Positive Sentiment Override: How to Build the Lens That Protects Relationships — What is positive sentiment override and how does it protect a relationship?
• Reflective Listening: The Carl Rogers Method — How does Carl Rogers’s reflective listening actually work, and why is it so hard to do?
• Relationship Maintenance Behaviors — What are relationship maintenance behaviors and which ones actually work?
• Repair Attempts: Gottman's Key to Surviving Conflict in Relationships — What are repair attempts in relationships, and how do you use them to de-escalate conflict?
• Rupture and Repair — Why do ruptures in relationships matter less than how you repair them?
• Secure-Functioning Relationships — What does it mean to be a secure-functioning couple and how do you get there?
• Setting Boundaries, Made Practical — What are healthy boundaries, and how do you actually set them?
• The 5-to-1 Positivity Ratio in Relationships — What is the Gottman 5-to-1 ratio and does it actually predict relationship health?
• The Anxious-Avoidant Trap: Why Opposites Attract and Then Struggle — What is the anxious-avoidant relationship trap, and how do you break out of it?
• The Art of Apology — What makes an apology actually work, and why do so many fail?
• The Demand-Withdraw Pattern: Breaking the Pursue-Retreat Cycle — What is the demand-withdraw pattern in relationships and how do you break it?
• The Five Conflict-Resolution Styles — What are the five conflict-resolution styles, and which one should you use?
• The Five Love Languages, Honestly — What are the five love languages, and do they actually work?
• The Four Horsemen: Gottman's Warning Signs of Relationship Breakdown — What are Gottman's four horsemen, and how do you replace them in a relationship?
• The Gottman Method, Made Practical — What is the Gottman Method, and what actually predicts whether a relationship lasts?
• The Investment Model of Commitment: Why People Stay (and Why They Leave) — What determines commitment in a relationship and how can you strengthen it?
• The Magic Relationship Ratio: Gottman's 5-to-1 Principle — What is Gottman's 5-to-1 ratio in relationships, and does it actually work?
• The Michelangelo Phenomenon: How Partners Sculpt Each Other — What is the Michelangelo phenomenon and how do close partners shape each other’s self-development?
• The Pursuer-Withdrawer Cycle, Explained — What is the pursuer-withdrawer cycle and how do you break it?
• The Relationship Check-In: A Structured Practice for Staying Connected — How does a regular relationship check-in work and does it actually help couples?
• The Shared Meaning System — What is the Gottman shared meaning system and how do you build one?
• The Soft Startup: How You Begin a Difficult Conversation Determines How It Ends — What is Gottman’s soft startup and why does how you begin a conflict conversation matter so much?
• Turning Toward: The Daily Practice That Builds Relationship Resilience — What does "turning toward" mean in relationships and why does it matter so much?