35. Changes and Choices in Relationships with Yael Haklai-Neagu

When a couple relocates for one person’s job, it can be difficult to adjust to the new circumstances. Yael Haklai-Neagu, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, knows from first-hand experience just how challenging that process can be. When she moved to the United States for her partner’s job 16 years ago, she had to overcome a number of difficulties — including the extra stress the relocation placed on her relationship.

According to Yael, the individual who moves for their partner’s job (also known as the trailing spouse) has two challenges to overcome: grieving the loss of what they left behind and learning to recreate themselves in their new circumstances. In this way, relocation has a lot in common with other types of transitions that couples face, including infidelity. In one situation, the relocation is physical; in the other, the journey is carried out mentally and emotionally. However, in both cases you’re faced with a choice: do you stay or go?

In this episode of Your Secret is Safe With Me, Dr. Marie Murphy talks with Yael Haklai-Neagu, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Board Certified Hypnotherapist, about how to navigate complex transitions in relationships. Yael talks about her experience moving to the United States for her partner’s job, the choices that helped her find her own path, and what that experience has in common with infidelity. Plus, Yael shares how hypnotherapy can help you find a clearer perspective.