From Relationship Resentment and Crises to Softening and Stability
Help Stabilize the Marriage and Promote Softening
- Listen compassionately to the spouse’s experience.
- Guide healing experience and expression of anger (righteous indignation).
- Encourage hopeful petition for change.
- Probe for meaning-making regarding pornography addiction.
- Listen compassionately to the addicted person’s experience.
- Promote a correct, compassionate, and healing understanding of addiction.
- Describe pornography addiction as a psychological not sexual problem.
- Affirm the reality of powerlessness.
- De-personalize pornography addiction for the spouse.
- Nevertheless, affirm destructive relationship effects.
- Promote relationship softening and a renewed heart for healing.
- Review redeeming virtues.
- Build mutual empathy through enacting role reversals.
- Priesthood blessings and temple edification can be very helpful.
- Shift from blame to individual accountability and opportunity.