At the Arizona Relationship Institute (ARI), located at the Life Balance Center, in Las Sendas, Dr. Gold and Dr. Dlugas have collaborated to create a unique service for couples.
They have combined Dr. Dlugas’ expertise of treating physical issues (pain and discomfort, lack of flexibility or range of motion, sports injuries impeding current performance, etc.) with Dr. Gold’s expertise (improving emotional and sexual intimacy, healing from infidelity, reducing anxiety and depression). In turn, they have begun to develop a treatment addressing the physical and relationship health of couples.
Couples first meet with Dr. Gold, or one of the other therapists she has trained at the ARI, to identify and assess their goals for treatment. They then meet with Dr. Dlugas to examine and assess any physical pain, discomfort, or other structural issues they may have. Dr. Dlugas teaches the couple how to massage each other to address their physical issues. She helps them understand their own and each other’s physiology. As a result, she literally engages them in the process of helping to heal each other’s pain.
Throughout the course of treatment, Dr. Gold and Dr. Dlugas continue to consult with one another and with the couple. Dr. Gold and the ARI therapists assist the couple with broadening their range of different types of physical touch. This includes the meanings they make of different types of touch, the sensations they experience, and the emotion that arises.
Dr. Gold helps couples explore and share their experience with one another. This process helps couples create an emotional and physical connection, which can soften their defenses. It also creates the context needed to effectively address their problems. “I help set the stage for partners to see each other more clearly, and feel safe enough with each other to say what they need to say,” she explained.
Dr. Dlugas helps them acquire another language to add to their repertoire of ways they can effectively reach and respond to one another.
For more information about this service, or other integrated treatments, call (480) 788-5069, email info@LifeBalanceAZ.com, or visit LifeBalanceAZ.com. For more information on couple intimacy and relationship therapy, visit these websites at AZreli.com and couplesintimacy.com.