Some couples need more than just the run-of-the-mill relationship advice to solve their problems in love. When out-of-control emotions are the root cause of problems in a relationship, no amount of effective communication or intimacy building will fix what ails it. What these high-conflict couples need is help regulating the emotions that provoke the escape or win mode of interaction that has come to define them.

Using mindfulness and distress tolerance techniques, readers can learn how to de-escalate conflict situations before they have a chance to flare into serious fights. Other techniques help partners in a relationship disclose their personal fears and vulnerabilities and validate one another's experiences. Ultimately, readers who practice the techniques in this book will learn how to manage problems with negotiation, not conflict, and how to find true acceptance and closeness with each other.