ABSTRACT
Throughout this book we have frequently referred to the fundamental importance of close relationships for one’s health and wellbeing. We honor the emotional bond that is established between partners in close relationships: Each partner can provide comfort (a safe haven) and encouragement (a secure base) for the other, but, getting close also carries some risks. Getting close carries the possibility of being hurt or causing hurt, and most people would agree that hurt feelings hurt! By now, after engaging in the guided reflections in earlier chapters, you and your partner may have identified some times when hurtful events have occurred in your relationship. These events call for repair, and yet, sometimes, repair can feel difficult to accomplish. When hurtful events are not addressed and successfully resolved, hurt can fester and erode a couple’s emotional bond; our purpose then in this chapter is to give more careful consideration to repairing injuries, small and large, that can occur in close relationships. We would like to help you approach the repair process in small and manageable steps.
