Relationship: Creating True Closeness with Others with Terry Real

We are a social species, born to be relational. Relational connection is our birthright and it’s how we function best as a species…New research reports that the lack of social connection is the equivalent of smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day.” Here he shares how our relationships are our biospheres. We are not above them, we are in them, we breathe them. Also, relationships are not a zero-sum situation where one person wins and the other loses, one is right and the other is wrong. Terry teaches the practice of relational mindfulness. He gives us examples of how to conduct skillful and effective communication in order to get off the treadmill of repetitive fights with our partners. He shares, “Who’s right and who’s wrong becomes irrelevant…Once we start living relationally the language changes, the thinking changes, and even the tools change.” It is all about getting past our knee-jerk reactions and tapping into our wiser, more collaborative self. (hosted by Travis Glen Sebera)

Terry Real is a family therapist and author. He’s the founder of the Relational Life Institute, which offers Relational Life Therapy (RLT) courses online and in-person workshops for couples, individuals, parents, and professionals.

Terry Real is the author of:

  • I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression (Scribner 1998)
  • How Can I Get Through to You? Closing the Gap Between Men and Women (Simon & Schuster 2002)
  • The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Know to Make Love Work (Ballantine Books)
  • Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship (Rodale Books 2022)

To learn more about the work of Terry Real go to: www.terryreal.com.


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