Nautical Couples Retreats with Private Intensive Marriage Counseling
Have Fun While Enhancing Your Relationship
Whether you need a professional marriage counseling retreat to get your relationship back on course or you want to celebrate and enrich the relationship you already have, one of our private odyssey cruises can help you accomplish either objective.
We have two types of odyssey retreats: Safe Passage Odysseys and romantic Love Odysseys. Both are private, intimate couples-only retreats which will enhance your relationship with your partner. We take only one couple at a time on an odyssey so you can feel safe to privately express your feelings in a relaxing and freeing environment.
Our romantic non-counseling Love Odysseys are designed for couples in love who want to get away from it all on an idyllic private cruise that has been tailored to meet their needs for romance and intimacy. We sail to lovely vacation spots on the NC coast where you can stay in beautifully-appointed bed-and-breakfasts, eat in restaurants of your choice, shop, swim, fish, or do nothing at all but relax. All towns where we stop are easily accessible by foot or bicycle. If you're interested in a romantic celebration, one of our Love Odysseys will give you the scenic yet private experience you can some day remember as one of those high points in your life together..
Our intensive Safe Passage Odysseys are nautical marriage retreats that offer private marriage counseling by psychologist Dr. Bryce Kaye, author of the book The Marriage First Aid Kit and a 30 + year veteran marriage therapist. Dr. Kaye and his wife Helen work as a team and spend up to four hours a day of intensive counseling and training for you and your partner while you sail to lovely locations on the North Carolina Coast. The scenic rivers and quaint coastal towns offer the perfect relaxing environment to promote your intimate reconnection.
Click here to read about the Safe Passage strategy for improving a couple's relationship with a private nautical marriage retreat.
Your crew: Bryce and Helen Kaye
Dr. Kaye discusses some important relationship truths. (Click Here to watch)
Check to see if your marriage is suffering from one of these most common syndromes. Click on any syndrome to read more about it.
Role-Bound Emotional Starvation Syndrome
Both parties have evolved to interact with each other like business managers, going about the business of managing everyday life but without mutual play or sentimental affirmation of each other. Special time is not allocated for intimate talking. No significant effort is made to share intimate time away from parenting roles. Each party feels "taken for granted." The couple argues about small control issues or events that are interpreted as indicating a lack of appreciation of each other.
Pursuer - Evader Syndrome
One party is more comfortable with the expression of intense feelings. The other party dreads intensity, especially heated conflict. The person who dreads intensity finds ways to emotionally withdraw by finding responsibilities to take up his or her time. The other person sees his or her partner withdrawing and reacts by aggressively pursuing contact. The pursuer often intrudes by expressing his or her resentments in a derogatory manner. The pursuer/intruder may also openly interpret the withdrawing party’s feelings and motives. The withdrawing party reacts by withdrawing further. The pursuer feels like he or she is being driven "crazy."
Initiator - Dependent Syndrome
One party (the initiator) has somehow wound up with all the responsibility for planning the fun part of the relationship. The dependent party may be very responsible in his or her job role. However, when it comes to family or relationship activity, the dependent party looks to the initiator for ideas. The dependent party is "easy" and ready to agree. The initiator feels as if he or she has another child for a partner. The initiator misses the excitement of another perspective besides his or her own and also feels lonely although the initiator may cover it over with anger.
Delinquent Helper Syndrome
One party (the "task-master") has somehow wound up with all of the responsibility for overseeing the household chores. The other party often doesn’t "help". The task-master frequently reminds the delinquent helper what needs to be done. The delinquent helper often forgets if they’re not frequently reminded.
Unproductive Conflict
The couple starts a conflict over a specific issue but soon escalates to general blaming behavior. Past misdeeds are raised up in an attempt to invalidate the other. Nothing gets accomplished and the couple retreats from one another with much hostility. This syndrome does not refer to conflict which threatens violence or actually becomes violent.
"Sneaky" Spending Behavior
One party is trying to reduce spending to live within a realistic budget. The other party is often unmindful of what they spend. The less mindful person may not be forthcoming about what they buy.
Conflicting Levels of Sexual Interest
One party wants it more, the other party wants it less. This does not refer to syndromes in which there is emotional conflict or emotional alienation affecting sexual interest. Rather, this is merely referring to different levels of sexual drive.
Non-violent Raging Behavior
In a conflict situation, one party is more likely to yell and scream before retreating in a "huff." In some couples, the rager may disapprove of his or her own behavior but feels helpless to prevent it. He or she may try to avoid conflict situations altogether.
We encourage you to read the following chapters from Dr. Kaye's book to learn why the key to maintaining an intimate relationship is really emotional management and not just better communication. These readings have helped many couples even without one of our odysseys.
(Adobe reader is required. You can download it at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ )
Contents
Introduction
A few words about why and how this books was written.
Chapter 1 - The Great No-No
This chapter illustrates how our own fear of shame is the greatest obstacle we have to face if we want to improve an intimate relationship.
Chapter 2 - The Structure of Vital Relationships
Love based relationships do not have as much stability or resilience as do integrity based relationships. Ths chapter describes the strong foundation of a relationship that can have a marriage stand the test of time.
Chapter 3 - Balance and Paradox
A vital relationship needs to be dynamic and not static. Opposing needs and emotional states must be kept balanced over time if a marriage is to thrive. This chapter unravels the paradox.
Chapter 4 - Nurturing Healthy Attachment
Relationships must be fed. It's not enough to just feel. This chapter explains the fundamentals about how attachment needs can be effectively met in a marriage..
Chapter 5 - Love's Hidden Assassin
A very common relationship killer operates far below our awareness. It leads to the numbing loss of attraction and affection in many couples. .
Chapter 6 - The Other Usual Suspects
This chapter outlines the other most common relationship killers of which many couples are often aware..
Chapter 7 - Freeing and Strengthening Your Hedonic Self
If you're starting to numb out and lose attraction, this chapter suggests what you do to start resuscitating the part of yourself that's going dormant in your marriage.
Chapter 8 - Defending Autonomy
This chapter gives you tools to ward off covert inhibition that might otherwise strangle your affection and kill your marriage..
Chapter 9 - Managing Conflict
This chapter describes various forms of constructive and destructive conflict. Tools for appropriate management are provided.
Chapter 10 - Sharing Power and Authority
This chapter contains helpful tools for negotiating chores, structuring finances, and dealing with in-laws.
Chapter 11 - Great Sex
This chapter describes elements that foster great sex as well as some guidelines on how couples can get there..
Chapter 12 - Mapping Your Strategy
This chapter discusses how to strategize changing a marriage.
Chapter 13 - Conclusion
Addendum: Message to a Daughter
Glossary
