Why Relationships Fail

Most people, when asked if they want a loving relationship, will say that having a loving relationship is one of the two most important things to them – along with having work they love.




Why, then, do so many relationships fail?

If we want to go deeply into why relationships fail, we need to go all the way back to the parental relationship.

When we didn’t receive the love, safety, security and emotional regulation we needed as infants, we developed protective patterns that allowed us to manage the pain of this – patterns that, unless healed, continue to affect our relationships. Protective patterns, such as anger, withdrawal, compliance, and resistance invariably create relationship problems.



The bottom-line issue is that when we didn’t receive the love we needed, we didn’t learn to love ourselves. Instead, we learned to abandon ourselves with our various protections against the pain of not being loved.

If there is one answer to why relationships fail, it’s because we don’t love ourselves. Instead, we try valiantly to get the love from our partner that we didn’t receive as a child or try to avoid being controlled by our partner the way we might have been controlled as a child. While we are operating from our protective patterns, our partner is doing the same thing. The love that we originally felt grinds to a halt as the patterns of anger, withdrawal, compliance and resistance play out.

In the 46 years that I’ve been working with individuals and couples, I’ve seen variations of this same pattern play out over and over, resulting in a failed relationship unless the protective patterns heal.




Healing Rather Than Leaving

Since we generally attract people at our common level of woundedness – which means our common level of self-abandonment/self-rejection/lack of self-love- the chances of repeating the patterns that lead to relationship failure are great. Unless there is physical or emotional abuse, relationship problems can offer us opportunities to heal these patterns. Yet, often, when things get tough, we think we need to leave the relationship.

Instead, why not stay, and take advantage of the opportunity? Why not devote yourself to learning to love yourself so that you can share the love with your partner?

Here is what can happen in a relationship when two people decide to learn to love themselves, which is what the Inner Bonding process is all about.

As you each learn to connect with your Source of Love (we live in a universe of love, but when you are operating from your protective patterns, you can’t feel the love that is here for you), you begin to be able to feel love within.

As you each learn to feel the love within, you gradually learn to define yourselves as this love. You each recognize that your soul is a part of this love, and therefore lovable and worthy. The more you each define your intrinsic worth as love, the fuller you each feel inside, and eventually, you both feel so full of love within that it comes spilling out to be shared with each other.

Loving yourselves brings each of you the safety and security you might have been seeking from each other. Now, instead of trying to get love from each other, you are each sharing your love with your partner. Ironically, you are each giving to the other what you have wanted from each other, but were unable to freely give to each other previously.




I hope you can see that self-abandonment/self-rejection is the major cause of relationship failure and learning to love yourself is what heals relationships. There is no greater joy in life than the sharing of love, but you cannot share what you don’t know you have. Until you learn to love yourself, you cannot share the love with another.

So, instead of leaving your relationship, learn to love yourself, and create the relationship you’ve always wanted. Even if just one of you decides to learn to love yourself, your relationship system might change enough to turn the relationship around. And it if doesn’t and the relationship comes to an end, at least you won’t be taking the same protective patterns into your next relationship. You have nothing to lose by learning to love yourself!


Written by Margaret Paul, PhD
For information or to schedule a phone or Skype session: 310-459-1700 • 888-646-6372 (888-6INNERBOND) http://www.innerbonding.com

You may also like

Why Romance Turns Toxic: The Psychology Behind Love & Relationships

18 Relationship Red Flags You Should Never Ignore

A 23 Point Love Contract To Bulletproof Your Relationship

12 Habits In A Relationship That Are More Harmful Than Cheating




4 Signs That Indicate You Are In A Selfish Relationship

2 Stupid Words …You Should Never Use In A Relationship

When Someone You Love Becomes Toxic

Why Relationships Fail


Published On:

Last updated on:

Dr. Margaret Paul

CO-CREATOR OF INNER BONDING Dr. Paul is the author/co-author of several best-selling books, including Do I Have To Give Up Me to Be Loved By You, Inner Bonding, Healing Your Aloneness, The Healing Your Aloneness Workbook, Do I Have To Give Up Me to Be Loved By My Kids, and Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God Dr. Paul’s books have been distributed around the world and have been translated into eleven languages. Dr. Margaret holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is a relationship expert, noted public speaker, workshop leader, educator, chaplain, consultant, and artist. She has appeared on many radio and TV shows, including the Oprah show. She has successfully worked with thousands of individuals, couples and business relationships and taught classes and seminars since 1967. Margaret continues to work with individuals and couples throughout the world on the phone and on Skype. She is able to access her own and her client’s spiritual Guidance during her sessions, which enables her to work with people wherever they are in the world. Her current passion is working on and developing content for this Website, as well as distributing SelfQuest, the software program that teaches Inner Bonding and is donated to prisons and schools, as well as sold to the general public. Margaret Paul, PhD information Anxious, Depressed, Addicted, Empty, Relationship struggles, Inner Bonding – The Power To Heal Yourself! http://www.innerbonding.com

Disclaimer: The informational content on The Minds Journal have been created and reviewed by qualified mental health professionals. They are intended solely for educational and self-awareness purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing emotional distress or have concerns about your mental health, please seek help from a licensed mental health professional or healthcare provider.

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Most people, when asked if they want a loving relationship, will say that having a loving relationship is one of the two most important things to them – along with having work they love.




Why, then, do so many relationships fail?

If we want to go deeply into why relationships fail, we need to go all the way back to the parental relationship.

When we didn’t receive the love, safety, security and emotional regulation we needed as infants, we developed protective patterns that allowed us to manage the pain of this – patterns that, unless healed, continue to affect our relationships. Protective patterns, such as anger, withdrawal, compliance, and resistance invariably create relationship problems.



The bottom-line issue is that when we didn’t receive the love we needed, we didn’t learn to love ourselves. Instead, we learned to abandon ourselves with our various protections against the pain of not being loved.

If there is one answer to why relationships fail, it’s because we don’t love ourselves. Instead, we try valiantly to get the love from our partner that we didn’t receive as a child or try to avoid being controlled by our partner the way we might have been controlled as a child. While we are operating from our protective patterns, our partner is doing the same thing. The love that we originally felt grinds to a halt as the patterns of anger, withdrawal, compliance and resistance play out.

In the 46 years that I’ve been working with individuals and couples, I’ve seen variations of this same pattern play out over and over, resulting in a failed relationship unless the protective patterns heal.




Healing Rather Than Leaving

Since we generally attract people at our common level of woundedness – which means our common level of self-abandonment/self-rejection/lack of self-love- the chances of repeating the patterns that lead to relationship failure are great. Unless there is physical or emotional abuse, relationship problems can offer us opportunities to heal these patterns. Yet, often, when things get tough, we think we need to leave the relationship.

Instead, why not stay, and take advantage of the opportunity? Why not devote yourself to learning to love yourself so that you can share the love with your partner?

Here is what can happen in a relationship when two people decide to learn to love themselves, which is what the Inner Bonding process is all about.

As you each learn to connect with your Source of Love (we live in a universe of love, but when you are operating from your protective patterns, you can’t feel the love that is here for you), you begin to be able to feel love within.

As you each learn to feel the love within, you gradually learn to define yourselves as this love. You each recognize that your soul is a part of this love, and therefore lovable and worthy. The more you each define your intrinsic worth as love, the fuller you each feel inside, and eventually, you both feel so full of love within that it comes spilling out to be shared with each other.

Loving yourselves brings each of you the safety and security you might have been seeking from each other. Now, instead of trying to get love from each other, you are each sharing your love with your partner. Ironically, you are each giving to the other what you have wanted from each other, but were unable to freely give to each other previously.




I hope you can see that self-abandonment/self-rejection is the major cause of relationship failure and learning to love yourself is what heals relationships. There is no greater joy in life than the sharing of love, but you cannot share what you don’t know you have. Until you learn to love yourself, you cannot share the love with another.

So, instead of leaving your relationship, learn to love yourself, and create the relationship you’ve always wanted. Even if just one of you decides to learn to love yourself, your relationship system might change enough to turn the relationship around. And it if doesn’t and the relationship comes to an end, at least you won’t be taking the same protective patterns into your next relationship. You have nothing to lose by learning to love yourself!


Written by Margaret Paul, PhD
For information or to schedule a phone or Skype session: 310-459-1700 • 888-646-6372 (888-6INNERBOND) http://www.innerbonding.com

You may also like

Why Romance Turns Toxic: The Psychology Behind Love & Relationships

18 Relationship Red Flags You Should Never Ignore

A 23 Point Love Contract To Bulletproof Your Relationship

12 Habits In A Relationship That Are More Harmful Than Cheating




4 Signs That Indicate You Are In A Selfish Relationship

2 Stupid Words …You Should Never Use In A Relationship

When Someone You Love Becomes Toxic

Why Relationships Fail


Published On:

Last updated on:

Dr. Margaret Paul

CO-CREATOR OF INNER BONDING Dr. Paul is the author/co-author of several best-selling books, including Do I Have To Give Up Me to Be Loved By You, Inner Bonding, Healing Your Aloneness, The Healing Your Aloneness Workbook, Do I Have To Give Up Me to Be Loved By My Kids, and Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God Dr. Paul’s books have been distributed around the world and have been translated into eleven languages. Dr. Margaret holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is a relationship expert, noted public speaker, workshop leader, educator, chaplain, consultant, and artist. She has appeared on many radio and TV shows, including the Oprah show. She has successfully worked with thousands of individuals, couples and business relationships and taught classes and seminars since 1967. Margaret continues to work with individuals and couples throughout the world on the phone and on Skype. She is able to access her own and her client’s spiritual Guidance during her sessions, which enables her to work with people wherever they are in the world. Her current passion is working on and developing content for this Website, as well as distributing SelfQuest, the software program that teaches Inner Bonding and is donated to prisons and schools, as well as sold to the general public. Margaret Paul, PhD information Anxious, Depressed, Addicted, Empty, Relationship struggles, Inner Bonding – The Power To Heal Yourself! http://www.innerbonding.com

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