Plainwell Counseling Center

02/16/2026

02/15/2026

Try this

02/15/2026

The question isn't whether your relationship is struggling. Most relationships hit rough patches. The real question is whether both people are genuinely willing to do the work required to fix what's broken.

Because here's the truth: relationships can absolutely recover from betrayal, neglect, and dysfunction. But only if both partners are actively committed to changing harmful patterns, not just talking about it.

That means taking accountability without defensiveness. Doing the uncomfortable work of confronting painful history without blame. Being willing to rebuild trust through consistent action over time, not just apologies.

One person can't save a relationship alone. If you're the only one showing up to repair, you're not in a partnership anymore. You're carrying dead weight and calling it love.

02/15/2026

Stonewalling is one of the biggest predictors of relationship failure, and it's exactly what it sounds like. Complete emotional shutdown during conflict. Refusing to engage, walking away mid-conversation, giving the silent treatment for days without explanation.

It's not the same as asking for a break to regulate. That's healthy. Stonewalling is punitive silence designed to avoid accountability and shut down any conversation that makes them uncomfortable.

And here's why it's so damaging: it makes resolution impossible. You can't work through conflict with someone who won't communicate. You can't build trust with someone who disappears emotionally every time things get hard.

If your partner stonewalls you regularly, they're telling you they'd rather protect themselves from discomfort than work on the relationship with you. That's not a partnership, that's emotional abandonment.

02/14/2026

02/14/2026