The Super Couple: A Formula for Extreme Happiness in Marriage

by Christine Bacon Ph.D.

Overview

Her own marriage was so painful and troubled that author Dr. Christine Bacon actually prayed for her husband to die.

During the four-year separation and her husband's pursuit of reconciliation, she realized that reunification would mean changing everything: ineffective communication styles, bad habits, attitudes and levels of commitment. Bacon vowed to herself that “this second time must be forever.” Her personal trials, despair and fighting spirit fueled a new quest to discover the formula for extremely happy couples.

Dr. Bacon interviewed nearly 100 Super Couples to discover whether extremely happy marriages were a matter of fate or formula. Did they get lucky, or was “super” something that could be learned? Her surprising findings inspired a turnaround in her now happy and fulfilling marriage and have led to the same for thousands of other couples. Seekers who delve into The Super Couple will access this formula, glean fresh insights to the “six faulty assumptions” that often lead to marital failure, and embrace a practical and inspiring redefinition of love that will reinvigorate a tepid or troubled marriage and transform it to terrific.

Hungry for the formula? The Super Couple is a feast of relationship sustenance for the mind, the heart, the family unit and the eager spirit willing to grow the extra mile. It's a small investment in a lifetime of happily ever after.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633932012
Publisher:	Koehler Studios, Inc.
Publication date:	02/14/2016
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	460,471
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Christine Bacon, Ph.D., holds three degrees in communication. Her doctoral dissertation merged marital humor with her own experience and her desire to teach individuals and couples how to build and nurture what Bacon calls Super marriages. She is the wife of a retired Navy officer and a former life-skills educator at the Navy's Fleet and Family Support Centers. Her expertise includes teaching couples and individuals to successfully manage conflict, anger and stress, and more than fourteen years' experience leading pre-marital seminars with Catholic Charities. Bacon also runs CMB Communication, Inc., which focuses on strengthening relationships (intimate, familial and professional) by teaching effective communication skills. Her Super Couple seminars teach the science of extreme happiness in marriage. She hosts her own radio show, Breakfast with Bacon: The Relationship Doctor, broadcast from Hampton Roads, Virginia. Her articles have been featured in both Catholic Online and Designed to Flourish.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 02
Preface: The Super Couple 04
Super Does NOT mean Perfect 12
PART I: WHAT I THOUGHT I'D HEAR 16
Faulty Assumption 1: They got married
"the right way." 18
Faulty Assumption 2: They learned "super" from their parents. 21
Faulty Assumption 3: They never endured any major struggles. 22
Faulty Assumption 4: They were never attracted to others besides their spouse. 23
Faulty Assumption 5: They couldn't possibly be married to pessimists. 26
Faulty Assumption 6: They were more alike than different. 28
PART II: WHAT I HEARD IN INTERVIEWS 40
I would never want to hurt my Spouse! 41
I adore my spouse! 45
Honor 46
Esteem 48
Respect 54
Friendship 61
Communication 64
The Gendered Brain 70

PART III: WHAT I DID NOT HEAR! 82
Defining Love-What it's NOT! 83
Romantic Love 85
Love as a Feeling 96
Love as an Action "Love Burns Calories" 102
Redefining Love 106
I Want to Be the Center of His/Her World! 107
Career, Children and other Subverters 120
The Pursuit of Happiness 125
Hedonic 127
Eudaimonic 132
PART IV: WHAT I SAW: THE SUPER COUPLE FORMULA 150
SC Principle #1: Selflessness 151
Testosterone-Oxytocin Cycle 154
Love and Sex 159
The Wife Box 162
SC Principle #2: Attentiveness 164
Perception 165
The Johari Window 170
Trust 178
SC Principle #3: Communication 192
SC Principle #4: Respect 195
SC Principle #5: Encouragement 196
SC Principle #6: Deliberateness 203
Some Final Truth 205
Unconditional Love 205
Standing for Marriage 207
References 212

Editorial Reviews

"Anyone wishing to enhance the overall quality of their relationships must read this book. Discover steps toward having the marriage of your dreams."

-Dr. Joy Francis, author of You are Beautiful: A Journey of Discovery, Professor at Old Dominion University

"I could not believe the ease and humor by which Dr. Bacon taught my hardest-fought lessons. This is the book I wish I'd read as a young adult."

-Candance Moore, author of Before She Slips Away

From the Publisher