In the heat of an argument, overwhelming emotions can rob us of our common sense. The fallout from these momentary explosions can last for years. Learning how to handle emotional storms can keep a bad moment from doing long-term damage to a relationship.

Do you know anyone who is staying married to do the right thing? To keep the family together? Or, to keep the kids happy? I’m going to unveil one of the secrets to making marriages last and work.

There’s some pressure in the more ‘psychologised’ cultures to be open, to share, to tell your story, and it’s easy to find yourself swept along and unthinkingly revealing more than, in retrospect, you want to. There can be a great deal of centredness, self-respect and power in silence.

In a psychological experiment, jam-tasting experts and students more or less agreed on the best tasting jam — until the students were asked to analyse their preferences. Then they promptly forgot how they actually percieved the jam and started thinking too much.

A friend recently endured a series of counselling sessions which were completely unsatisfying, although at the end of the sessions, my friend thanked the therapist and told him how effective the sessions had been and how much better she felt. What a colossal waste of everybody’s energy and intentions.

The sound of our own voice is something we take for granted as just a part of who we are, but what if our voice were to change drastically or be taken away altogether? How would that affect our sense of who we are and how we are perceived by others?

The bottom line is that spin is a form of lying. Does anyone out there really care anymore?