Psychologist and author of Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships, Dr. Lisa Firestone answers some fundamental questions about relationship compatibility. How would you define relationship compatibility? Relationship compatibility exists, first and foremost, when a couple relates with equality and respect. It’s important for couples to have fun together and really enjoy the time they spend together. Relationships thrive when two people share companionship and activities. However, a couple doesn’t have to have every interest in common. People often make the mistake of assuming there is only one person or “soul mate” out there for them, and they believe that that person will complement... read more ...

The news isn’t very promising. Less than two out of five married couples describe themselves as happy while the rest are either somewhat satisfied or living with spouses in quiet desperation, experiencing little intimacy, passion, romance or sex. Enter the Johnsons, Melva and Jesse, a handsome baby-boomer couple with two grown sons, who appear to be the poster pair for the happy couple category. They are Royal Oak psychotherapists and relationship experts, offering couples therapy and workshops. Upon arriving at their office, it becomes clear they can’t keep their eyes off of each other. In light of our country’s divorce statistics, I was determined to discover their secret. As Jesse sits... read more ...

“In desperate love, we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we created in the first place.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love When it comes to our relationships, the expectation of a perfect union or a bright future of endless bliss is hardly realistic. Whenever two independently willed, unique individuals come together, the journey will never consist of completely smooth sailing. Relationships are full of imperfections and misuses of those close to us, and they are made all the more complicated by the pressure we put on ourselves to merge identities with another person.... read more ...