Our closest relationships look a bit different these days. Our partners went from companions to our best friend, our therapist, our co-worker, and sometimes our parent or additional child at times. We are with them 24/7 navigating a global crisis all while doing our best. And it can be hard. Marriage and Family Therapist Michael Latimer is helping couples and families not only survive these times, but thrive. On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru talks to Michael Latimer, who has incorporated cognitive-behavior techniques, mindfulness practice, narrative therapy, attachment theory, and the Gottman Method into his over 15 years experience as a therapist. He uses these approaches to help couples strengthen their friendship, repair after a fight, and compromise without giving up core needs.In this episode, Dhru and Michael talk all about how to communicate in a way that creates connection instead of discourse. They discuss building relationships and using this time of social isolation to strengthen bonds and make repairs and how to both meet your partner’s needs and meet your own. In this episode, we dive into:-What are the stressors that couples are encountering during this unprecedented times

-How our personalities change during stressful times

-A stress-relieving exercise

-How to deal with a partner who did not grow up in a household with good communication

-The importance of making repairs in relationships

-What a gratitude practice looks like in relationships

-What are love maps?

-How to carve out alone time in our schedules even when we are together 24/7 (literally)

-How can people with avoidance attachment styles cultivate connection during this time?

-Why couples don't necessarily need to be 50/50 all the time

-The importance of self-talk

-The difference between traditional therapy and those trained in the Gottman Method and the importance of therapy

-How to learn more about Michael