In Conversation With Don Rosenthal, Part I

by Wanda Waterman
The Voice Magazine, Volume 22 Issue 22 2014-05-30

“The mind’s habit of closing the heart is tenacious, and the ego will persist in its ancient ways. You will doubtless stumble on the path many times. Nonetheless, change eventually begins …”
– Don Rosenthal in Learning to Love

“The truth is, although the mind will say it’s not safe to love, there’s never a good reason to keep the heart closed.”
– Martha Rosenthal in Learning to Love

Psychotherapist Don Rosenthal and his wife Martha, a mind/body/spirit healing practitioner, are the authors of a number of books for couples, including Learning to Love, a marriage manual that leaves all others in the dust. What’s radically different about their approach is the premise that couplehood is both a spiritual journey and an unparalleled opportunity for personal growth. They teach effective means of self-examination and communication to resolve problems that could lead to breakup.

Don and Martha counsel couples in private practice and conduct weekend retreats in which they encourage couples to explore the roots of any personal pain that might be creating conflict in their relationships. They also teach partners how to be mindfully present to each other even when the partner’s message is hard to hear.

Recently Don Rosenthal took the time to answer Wanda Waterman’s questions about the origins and foundations of their remarkable life’s work. (Read the interview here.)