Tuning Relationships with Music is a form of family counselling that I have developed, for parents and teenagers who would like to communicate better and have less conflict in their relationship with each other, where a parent also has had trauma earlier in life. I am testing out this therapy to see if it may be helpful for families, for my PhD studies at the Mindful Centre for Training and Research in Developmental Health, at the University of Melbourne.
What do you think of, when you are asked what creates intimacy between you and your partner? Many of us think of physical intimacy (including sex), and emotional intimacy (connecting time to talk, spending quality time together doing things we enjoy etc). Research shows, though, that not only is conflict inevitable in relationships, but it can actually promote closeness and strengthen relationships when it is managed skilfully, and where issues can either be resolved or at least left open for ongoing discussion.
