Al Turtle's Relationship Wisdom

My son and his new bride.

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25th Anniversary and renewal of our wedding vows.

View Article  Where do you start? What goes first?
I often get asked this, and fortunately for me the answer is clear. But let's state the question more clearly. If I am in a couple, a relationship, what do I/we focus on first, second, third, etc. to make things better. Ok, here we go. The answer arises from two different major principles: the Anna Karenina Principle and the Biological Dream.    more »
View Article  Relationship Posters for the Wall
In many ways, I am a slow learner. I have used many white sheets of paper with a saying on it. I posted these on the walls at my home and at my office, to keep reminding me over and over until my thick brain “get’s it.” Here are a bunch of them.   more »
View Article  A Weekend with Al

A friend of mine, Laura Lavigne, has talked me into spending two days with you all.  Sept 24rd  and 25...   more »

View Article  Affairs and How I Approach the Topic
Prompted by a friend on an online forum (MarriageAdvocates) I decided to share my view of Affairs. You might call this a Lizard view of Affairs. (This is not beginner material.)   more »
View Article  How to Use this Website
If you have arrived here interested in getting a wonderful partnership, or interested in how to do better, or interested in saving your marriage or that of friends, parents or children, or just interested in specifics of how peaceful partnerships work, you have arrived at a right place.

And all this is free for the reading. What can you loose? My good wishes to you all. Go 4 It!    more »

View Article  Books I Read
I have received requests to list books that have been, and are, important to me in developing my thinking. Here I will organize that list, and link them to Amazon.com, so that you can get them. This list will grow as I think of them. I am just listing the ones that have been repeatably, and durably, “hot” for me. Enjoy!   more »
View Article  Using Al Turtle Logic on Relationship Troubles
How to approach relationship challenges? Tis all about applying knowledge of the Biological Dream and learning those skills. Tis all about knowing where you currently are on the Map of Relationships. Here are some examples.    more »
View Article  The Road to Empathy: The Essay
How about it? Want to learn to be empathic? Want to know when you aren't? Want to improve? I believe that more and more people will be talking about the “need for more empathy.” I believe that the primary cause of conflict in our families, our partnerships, our business, our marriages, our political communities, our churches, and in the world, is a pronounced lack of reliable empathic skills.    more »
View Article  Vintage Love: What does it look like?
I got this question, recently. Apparently in my Map of Relationships I have not described it enough. I guess I just referred to it as a "place" that people, all people want to go to. Well, ok, I'll share some thoughts on it.   more »
View Article  Three-Drawer Tool Box
I believe that everyone needs a three-drawer tool box. Each drawer represents different tools or skills needed in life.    more »
View Article  The Map of Relationships: A Chart
This is a chart of my understandings of how intimate relationships work. Printable B&W and Color versions.   more »
View Article  Looking for an Imago Therapist?
Here are friends around the world who are sharing their links for 2008. If you can't find one here, check out the directory at Imago Relationships International (IRI)   more »
View Article  Caring Days: Discussion
This is my response to a great set of questions posted on my article on the Problem with Expectations. But it covers so much territory, I decided to repond with an article. My thanks to the Poster.    more »
View Article  I got tired of the Advertisements
Well, it took me about 8 months of trying Advertisements on this site to decide I didn't need them. Over that time more than 67, 000 different people dropped by. Our advertising revenue was just over $100. I would rather give away $100 then have to see Ads that I don't know about or sometimes don't like. So away they go!    more »
View Article  Flying a Great Relationship: An Image

People ask me how hard is a great relationship, and I am responding more and more that “it is not rocket science.” 

747flying

But I have come across an image, that isn’t far from what most of us think is “rocket science,” that may be helpful to you.

   more »
View Article  Working, Long-Term, on your Marriage / Relationship
Working for the long haul. Let's say you two make it through learning the skills critical to "getting along." Now what? Here's the view after you get over that first hump.    more »
View Article  Glossary of Terms
This is an often requested list of brief definitions of my words. From time to time I will add to this list. Insert these words in the Search function on the front page of my website to see the articles where I use these terms.    more »
View Article  Comments (even anonymous ones), I am now accepting on this site.
Hey, post your comments, now. Here are two essays by a friend about this website. Thanks WolfDeca.   more »
View Article  Listen to, and/or read, the whole (unabridged) Map of Relationships
I’ve posted the unabridged Map of Relationships in both written script and narrated MP3 versions. Print the Map itself and use it as you read or listen along.    more »
View Article  Getting to Work
In this article I want to share my view of the process getting a great relationship from the very widest perspective. I suggest that you read my paper on the Map of Relationship first to get this view.   more »
View Article  To Imago Therapists
An open letter (probably with lots of typos) that I wrote to any and all Imago Therapists during my vacation in the mountains in early September 2005. In it I pose an important question. Is what I am doing "Imago?"   more »
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View Article  Humor: Men's Way and Women's Way

Here is a short film, an advertisement, from down under.  I thought it priceless.  Thanks to Larry Weckbaugh for sending it on.  Click here  or on the link below.

http://al.turtlecounseling.com/Foolishmen.mpg

 

View Article  It only takes ONE to make a marriage, but TWO to make a divorce.
After many years of working with couples, I have come to this conclusion. Marriage, or an intimate partnership, takes two people. It takes both to decide to divorce and carry it through. But it takes only one of them to lead the way into a great relationship.   more »
View Article  Directions to Go
A listing of possible relationship problems - linked to solutions.    more »
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