Hello, I am a marital therapist, communications trainer and author. I have thirty-five years helping couples and individuals make better relationships. I have written twenty-plus self-help books which include the international best-sellers ‘I love you but I’m not in love with you’ and ‘How can I ever trust you again?’ My books have been translated into twenty languages. I trained with RELATE the UK’s largest counselling charity. Perhaps it has been turning sixty but I have become interested in spiritual as well as psychological questions. Who am I? What are my values – as opposed to my parents, my teachers and the wider society? What makes my life meaningful? What do I believe about life, the universe and everything? Although my clients might come to me because of destructive arguments, falling out of love and infidelity, they are also interested in having more meaningful relationships and a more meaningful life. So what is the meaningful life? Why do we so easily lose our way and get lost in depression, anxiety, doubt, addictions and obsessions: the swamplands of the soul? One thing I know for sure is that there is not one answer...
https://andrewgmarshall.com/podcasts/
episode 177: Dr Joshua Coleman: Family Estrangement
Estrangement from adult children can be one of the most disorienting and painful experiences of a parent's life.
This week, Andrew talks to Dr Joshua Coleman, the author of Rules of Estrangement. They discuss:
- Why estrangement has become so common
- Why estrangement isn’t a one-sided story of parents who got what they deserved or overly entitled adult children.
- Approaches parents can take to achieve reconciliation with children and grandchildren.
- Techniques for starting a conversation.
- Dr Coleman’s own experience of estrangement from his daughter.
Dr Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area and a Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. He has been a frequent guest on The Today Show and NPR, and has even been featured on Sesame Street.
Follow Up
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Buy Dr Joshua Coleman’s new book, Rules of Estrangement
Visit Dr Joshua Coleman’s website
You might also enjoy Andrew’s interview with Celia Dodd on how to Navigate Your Relationship with Your Adult Children
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Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall