by Rhett Smith | Nov 30, 2015 | Marriage, Podcast, Restoration Therapy
One of the tools that has changed my life in such an amazing way…that at times it’s really hard to explain…is learning the Pain and Peace Cycle in the work of Terry Hargrave in his Restoration Therapy model. In fact, in Episode 21 of this podcast I...
by Rhett Smith | Nov 18, 2015 | Marriage, Podcast, Restoration Therapy
This last week my wife and I spent two days training with Sharon Hargrave in her Marriage Strong curriculum. There were several reasons why we wanted to attend the training: 1) We know how much working through our Pain and Peace Cycle has transformed our own marriage;...
by Rhett Smith | Oct 13, 2015 | Podcast
I have been looking forward to having Dr. Cameron Jorgenson on my podcast for a long time. Dr. Jorgenson is one of the smartest and most thoughtful people that I know, and so it was with great anticipation that I had him on this week’s episode. But first a...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 21, 2015 | Podcast
I love interviewing guests on this podcast, but summer has been a bit difficult on the podcast schedule with so many people on vacation and needing to reschedule. But I have some great guests lined up for the future and we will cover some interesting topics. So for...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 15, 2015 | Podcast
About 4-5 years ago my wife and I’s life was in a pretty hectic place. Like many of you, we were a double-income family, trying to both balance out time for our work, our family life, and our marriage. And like many of you, we sort of felt like life was just...
by Rhett Smith | Mar 3, 2015 | Marriage
Back in the beginning of December, my friend Tyler Davis Jones mailed me a copy of Donald Miller’s new book Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy. Tyler picked it up at the Storyline Conference he attended. I was so thankful to get this great...
by Rhett Smith | Jan 26, 2015 | Marriage
One of the things that I became really convicted about in 2014 was my lack of being present. Present to my own life. Present to friends. Present to my kids. Present to my wife. And by present, I mean emotionally engaged and available to people in my life. Instead I...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 3, 2014 | Marriage
I’ve been thinking a lot about marriage these last few weeks for several reasons. Whether it is with the couples I work with, or my own personal marriage…I have come to realize that we just can’t do marriage on our own. We can throw all the tools at...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 30, 2014 | Marriage
I wish couples would go to counseling on a regular basis as a part of their commitment to being intentional in their marriage. I wish couples would go when their marriage was in a good spot, so that they can take it to an even greater spot. But the reality is, in my...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 18, 2014 | Marriage
I love working with couples in marriage counseling, pre-marital counseling, dating…it’s often a lot of fun. This video reminds me of how funny our differences as men and women can be. They are often very painful. But hopefully we can laugh at ourselves...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 17, 2014 | Marriage
I’ve posted before that when couples fight, the argument is rarely about the issue. We think we are talking about money. Or sex. Or parenting. Or in-laws. But it rarely is about those things. Before long (usually within a few seconds) we are questioning whether...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 13, 2014 | Marriage
“I want to think more about what connecting is and why I believe it is at the center of powerful relationships. If connecting is at the center of healing, then disconnecting must be at the core of what needs healing. In our therapeutic way of thinking,...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 12, 2014 | Anxiety
One of the most important tools in helping anxiety is often one of the most underrated and underutilized. And that is breathing. And I think it’s often overlooked because we take breathing for granted. It’s something we do all day long without much...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 4, 2014 | Marriage, Restoration Therapy
Four years ago I was presented with an amazing opportunity that changed the way I thought about marriage (my own and the couples I work with), and how I work with couple’s in a therapeutic context. I went up to The Hideaway Experience in Amarillo, Texas to...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 3, 2014 | Marriage, Restoration Therapy
“Somehow, even though we know that certain thoughts and behaviors are bad for us and are rooted in our own self-reactivity [negative patterns of coping], we return to those behaviors and usually find that these actions further assault our identities as human...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 2, 2014 | Marriage
It’s not unusual that I hear men in therapy say to their wife in session, “Stop nagging me.” I even came across this study and news story this month — Study: Nagging By A Spouse Could Shorten Your Life — The study states: But now a new...
by Rhett Smith | May 30, 2014 | Marriage
I think David Schnarch’s work on marriage and the concept of differentiation in relationships is life transforming. The idea of differentiation is not his, nor is it new. But his work Passionate Marriage has transformed my life in many ways, and continues to...
by Rhett Smith | May 23, 2014 | Anxiety
“Looking back at our families of origin and remembering these details can be a scary process for many people. Sometimes we are not quite sure what we will discover or remember, and that can leave us feeling anxious. That is normal. When we look back, and really...
by Rhett Smith | May 13, 2014 | Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health
Since Mental Health month is this month, I want to encourage you in two ways: If you find yourself feeling anxious or depressed, I really encourage you to reach out and get the help that you need. If you know someone who is feeling anxious or depressed, I encourage...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 21, 2014 | Anxiety
When I was 11 years old and began to experience traumatic grief from the death of my mom from breast cancer after a five-year battle — my anxiety manifested itself in the form of stuttering. And stuttering, or my fear of making a fool of myself in front of my...
