r/CouplesTherapyShow

Watching this show really made me question all of the therapy I've been through in the past. I sought out a therapist that specializes in psychoanalysis in my area. I had a session with them and within the first season my mind was blown.

For the very first time I had a therapist really see me. She identified what in my past are things I need to process through.

I am blown away. If I knew 10 years ago that this was the type of therapy I needed, I would be in a completely different place in my life right now.

I am so thankful to this show to even introduce me to different therapy styles so that I could get to this point.

This is the very first time in my life that I feel both seen and validated.

Thank you Dr. Orna for opening my eyes to this

Wide eyed, abstract language about evolving, individuating, going beyond, in this intense, alluring way but not actually ever saying anything concrete. But she wants it so much!

I heard so much of this "spiritual enlightenment" chat travelling through India....and i am absolutely rolling my eyes along with Drea.

Nessa has no idea what she wants. She just wants to be able to be free to "follow her vision" but when Orna asks what exactly it is or what it would look like, Nessa just says "I don't know".

Kudos to Jason and Marjorie for doing what seems like an impossible task of really understanding what motivates the other person politically. It is so extremely hard not to vilify the other side, and I, personally, really struggle to humanize those who support Trump, but this is the path forward for the US.

My partner and I are going through a little bit of a rough patch in our relationship regarding expectations, getting needs met, communication and my partner having an idealized version of relationships and what they “should” be in his mind.

Does anyone else ever watch the show and wonder what Dr. Orna would say to them/about their relationship? Or how couples therapy would go with her with you and your partner as the couple?

I started to feel like this season was different in episode one. Even better than previous seasons. I just finished the last episode and I feel like the strength of the season carried through to the very end.

A couple of reasons why I really loved this season:

1. Orna was incredibly effective. She was so grounded, even during huge outbursts. She just seemed exceptionally centered and had great, creative ideas throughout. I wondered if she had been consciously continuing to improve her skills and abilities. Orna crushed it.

2. I am SO happy with the couples they selected, because they didn't include anyone who was over-the-top abusive/manipulative/psychopathic. Every previous season seemed to have at least one person I could barely stand watching, because they were so far outside of normal behavior and showed little or no remorse. They also usually had no interest in actually doing therapy, whereas I felt like all eight individuals were genuinely trying to work things out and understand themselves and their partner this season.

I still liked some people more than others. I thought some were more sincere than others, etc. But I could find something to relate to or feel compassion for in every individual this season. Yay! I think this allowed Orna to do great work too - the hardest couples to watch in past seasons have often had an abusive/manipulative person completely deceiving an earnest person and then Orna is sort of forced to pretend like the abusive manipulator isn't doing what they're doing in order to keep them in therapy and it just feels so wrong.

A few quick thoughts on the couples (as always, I thank them for being on the show, it's incredibly vulnerable to do this, and I think it helps millions of people, but it can be hard for them - so thank you! I also hope none of them ever read this as I'm writing it for those of us who watch the show, not for them.):

• Nessa & Drea

I was pretty confused by Nessa at the start (what does she want? it's pretty vague), but my partner really believed that things would work out for them if Nessa was given some space. Their story had the most ups and downs of any couple - it was fascinating. At times I wondered if Nessa just didn't like Drea's personality or if it was really deeply ingrained nasty religious stuff that had affected her ability to enjoy the relationship. By the end I was rooting for them as individuals and as a couple.

• Jason & Marjorie

I had to laugh at my own initial reaction to each of them. I completely disagree with Jason's politics, but liked him right away as a person. I completely agreed with Marjorie's politics, but her constant poking and meanness were so off-putting. By the end I was rooting for both of them and kinda delighted that they had found each other and their love for each other and gotten better at genuinely listening to each other. Orna did some fabulous work here with the two of them. Even if they have to keep relearning the techniques. :)

• Shay & Clinton (Maeve)

I only moments ago read that Clinton now goes by the name Maeve. I am in no way trying to be disrespectful of that. I am going to refer to them by the name used on the show as that is how I knew them at the time I was watching. Sorry, doing my best with the new info.

I liked Clinton right away and was moved by him in the first few episodes. I found his emotional openness touching. It just felt so pure. Shay was tougher for me. I kept wanting her to be more vulnerable. This may sound a tad harsh, but I felt like she almost enjoyed being wronged, it gave her an opportunity to dramatically pull up the receipts. It was like she was performing in a courtroom drama and could shout "A-ha!" and then a judge could tell her she was right and she would finally have the vindication she wanted in life. I kept thinking her reactions are not just about Clinton and what is happening between them...there is hurt there from much earlier in her life.

But in the final episode (Orna doing amazing work here as well!), Shay finally opened up, was vulnerable and I genuinely felt for her. I think she has a chance to be in a good relationship in the not so distant future if she can be vulnerable like that and I'm hoping she does and is.

Clinton is pretty immature and he is unpredictable and he did deceive Shay. That is all true. I hope Clinton/Maeve is happy now and in a good relationship and that they continue to grow and mature. I'm glad they had each other for the time they did. That is real - it is meaningful. It isn't a failure that they're no longer together.

• Sienna & Chris

Whew. Where to start. I'm gonna write something bold and odd: Chris is the best cheater we've had on the show. By which I mean, he didn't lie about it. He acknowledged it. I think he is genuinely remorseful. And the story of his trauma was so intense and scary that I felt some understanding of just how messed up he is/was/is.

All that said, he still cheated on his wife for 2 years. He is completely and fully responsible for that and Sienna has every right to be angry. To be furious.

Can Chris be trusted going forward? I'm not sure. I was VERY skeptical of him in the first few episodes because his eyes were all over the place and he couldn't seem to even look at Sienna. It was like she didn't exist. He was so deeply down in the hole of his own stuff. But by the end he was able to make eye contact, he seemed aware of her presence, he spoke as if she existed and was in the room. So maybe. Maybe their relationship can work.

I really felt for Sienna. Her trauma was horrific. I started to understand why she had chosen some of the coping mechanisms she had (being upbeat and positive no matter what, putting almost a mask on for the world). I think she is going to have to continue to work on keeping in touch with her anger and any emotion that she normally might want to avoid (sadness, grief). When she veered back to sunny/happy everything is okay land, I worried for her. When she stood with her anger I thought she is going to make it and be better off.

Thank you to Orna, to the couples, and to the Producers - I didn't think Couples Therapy could get better - but it did!

I'm watching this on YouTube and Dr Orna said she has finished her book!

Reddit also gets a mention

Shay if you're reading this 1. hello. 2. do you have a clearer picture of your nails in a real quick B-roll from maybe the second episode? they had these little jewels on them and I am obsessed and want to take them to my nail person for inspiration. For everyone else who is reading this, if you know what I'm talking about or have a screenshot that would be amazing. Or just talk about how Shay's nails are on pooooooooooint baby.

I’ve been watching Couples Therapy since the beginning and I have found it to be incredibly fascinating, moving and most of all helpful. It seemed like with the exception of a few couples over the past seasons, the focus was on the dynamic in the couple and the nuance and intracises of relationships. I thought Dr. Orna was asking poignant questions that were thought provoking and that re framed the situation at hand. This season though, it seemed like the producers were looking for characters within the relationship instead of the relationship itself. Dr. Orna didn’t have as much to say and it didn’t seem like the couples were making much progress. I also wonder if increased visibility for the show on social media has come into play. Maybe the couples are more aware of being clipped on social media etc. Anyway, anyone else feel like this season did not live up to the previous?

I do not understand how anyone can be in a relationship with someone who supports Trump. The guy seems nice enough, but dumb as a rock. If you cannot come to an agreement on politics, how do you expect to come to an agreement on anything else.

I’m on episode 4 and really struggling to understand her. I don’t get a real sense of what she is trying to work through; it felt like she just didn’t want to be married anymore. My heart was breaking for Drea.

Horrible, terrible music, tearing you away without warning when you least expect it. Not one, and I mean not one musical choice is even in throwing distance of good music. Clearly the producers save the lint from their pockets because the licensing fees they pay--if any--to this non-stop assault on the ears is minimal. If Dollar General had a song licensing bin, this is their playlist.

Horrible, just horrible. And with such consistency, they never fail to make me want to scream. I am almost respectful of the ability to not allow one well-written melody in the mix. Wow, just wow.

Sorry, I had to say this. As you were.

Why the hell do I have to pay for Paramount+ AND Showtime to get to Dr Orna?! I’ll do it because I love her.. but damn streaming has shafted us

The open bigotry of the so called progressive class is so apparent between the way everyone attacks Jason and Clinton and Chris. This subreddit is VERY eye opening for me.

As someone who considered themselves a progressive up until today, as someone who considers themselves to have ESCAPED from a red state. I find myself more alienated by the blind, and cult-like bigotry of the left every single day. It is so coded with middle to upper class white ignorance, and elitism, and media afflicted status obsession, that I can't believe you don't understand why middle America revolted against you and voted in a sociopath to defy your bigotry disguised as progressive values.

Jason gave solid reasons for his cynicism of the left and y'all seem to be overlooking it. He was abused by a progressive icon therapist. His wife wanted to give his child amphetamines while scoffing at his concern over it because of his history of being drugged up. His wife forced an entire household of pets on him that he didn't want and expects him to take a part in cleaning up after them. His wife is foolish enough to drive her kids an hour and a half, one way, so they can attend a private school (classism). Obvious classism from his mother in law who can afford to pay for the children's private school. A wife who wont call her mothers abuse what it is, thereby leaving him feeling unsupported and without validation for HIS feelings. But she is a woman, so of course this man is bad and all his thoughts and experiences cant possibly be valid. No consideration for the expense of the lifestyle forced on him. No consideration for the feelings of his SON (imagine a boys feelings mattering). The condescending comments in this sub are sickening. Please be bots. PLEASE be bots.

On top of all of this, I bet I can skip over to a comment section about Clinton and watch you shit all over him for cheating while SHEA was the one who wanted an open relationship. You call the manifestations of his trauma 'gaslighting' and his clear autistic triggers 'fake'. Apparently Shea's obesity and trans femme ideology and media affliction tick off more boxes in the victim hood Olympics than Clinton's ACTUAL disability, compounded by his blackness, and his neglect, and his abuse. Shea conveniently spins out when Clinton finds himself as a valid human being and finds friends other than her. You conveniently ignore the fact that he was neglected and abused by a woman at home,, while he seeks to repair that with the woman before him, who in this particular relationship dynamic is the groomer, because she is a financially stable white woman trying to control an autistic black man and his behavior with money. She tried to BUY love. Every comment willfully ignores the things that will most definitely manifest because of Clinton's generational trauma, yet you fools can't even see through your own precious values to find empathy. It's racism disguised as progressive values.

Humanity is sooo fucking cooked.

I wish I could say y'all are Russian and Chinese bots, but instead I think humanity is done. I will vote for progressive values forever. But this new form of bigotry on the left is over for me. Y'all aren't on my team. Y'all are a bunch of false progressive, media afflicted bigots with a complete and utter lack of self awareness of your own flaws.

That line from Chris might honestly might have stuck with me more than any other in this series. Clearly he feels he's done the internal work to recognize why he did what he did and never do it again. He feels he can be trusted. But then he catches himself mid-sentence. No. His track record is still his track record. His wife doesn't have to trust him at all. It would be perfectly reasonable for her not to trust him ever again, so he rephrases.

Absolutely immaculate. The self awareness. The accountability. A masterclass. We've seen so many scummy dudes come through this show, and on paper Chris should be another one on the pile. He cheated. He hid it. He cheated through a paid cuddling service which is somehow ickier than just sleeping with a coworker or something. He starts off in one hell of a deep pit.

But by some miracle he won me over. No excuses. No deflections. No defensiveness. He fucked up just about as badly as you can in a relationship and he owns it completely. Even when Sienna is musing out loud about whether she should have left him years ago, he doesn't plead with her. He just listens and accepts what he's hearing. His choices brought him here and he knows he has to live with whatever comes of them.

I guess there's some people who feel he was being performative or insincere. Some have even called him a sociopath. I'm sorry. What? I genuinely don't know what more you could expect him to do short of travelling back in time to never cheat in the first place. If you went through the whole season and don't feel he displays any genuine remorse or willingness to change for the better... that's more about your priors than anything else as far as I'm concerned. Most of us would do well to atone for our gravest sins half as well as that.

I agree that this subreddit has gotten MESSY thanks to the overinvolvement of this season's couples. I'm not choosing a side, or claiming to know the legitimacy of Maeve's diagnosis. I just can't figure out where this idea that Maeve is faking/exaggerating their behaviour started.

“I think I’m a good wife, and I think someone would be happy to have me as their wife. I just wish it was this person”

OOOOFFFFF that got me 💔❤️‍🩹

1. Nessa is done with the marriage and is too much of a coward to leave;

2. Clinton is faking and weaponizing autism;

3. Sienna is so beautiful and kind and deserves so much better, but I think they can make it.

4. Jason and Marjorie can also make it with alot of therapy