THE FUSE

I met with a couple recently who came in saying, "We're just not connecting. We've drifted apart...lost track of each other." In the first session, as they talked, I saw him deftly steer the conversation off-topic each time they encountered uncomfortable differences: She always wants to go to her sister's for Thanksgiving, but he'd rather stay home; she wants to travel; he's worried about savings. Meanwhile, she handled these moments by insisting, convincing, and dismissing. When I asked them what was going on, they both said, "We don't like conflict."