Maintaining Relationships: Why They Fail And WhyThey Flourish with Penny Cohen

MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS: WHY THEY FAIL AND HOW TO MAKE THEM FLOURISH with PENNY COHEN, LCSW Penny Cohen is a transformational psychotherapist, relationship counselor and the author of “Personal Kabbalah: 32 Paths To Inner Peace & Life Purpose.” Find her at www.pennycohen.com. Relationships are very complex entities and there are many reasons why they fail. Whether the relationship is in business, a close friendship or a romantic one, including marriage, expectations are an important dynamic. Since relationships often end due to the dissatisfaction of one or both parties with the performance of the other, expectations are the key parameter. Another key reason romantic relationships fail is the inability of one or both parties to reach a stage of emotional intimacy. In the book “Games People Play,” by Dr. Eric Berne, the author describes different stages of the relationship of couples. The ultimate stage is that of emotional intimacy but unfortunately most couples never reach that goal. Most couples, whose relationship survives for more than say ten years or so, wind up at a stage called games. Penny Cohen and I will be discussing these issues and others with an attempt to convey a way to start, maintain and perhaps even improve how people relate in close and intimate surroundings.