PSR Podcast Keys to Emotional Intimacy: Empathy, Attunement, and Responsiveness
PSR Podcast is a listener supported outreach of Be Broken Ministries.
Year-End Matching Gift Opportunity!
Now through December 31, 2025 your gift will be DOUBLED, up to $71,500! Please help us reach this match in order to keep all our programs and services running strong into the New Year.
Partner with us at BeBroken.org/donate.
Thank you for your support!
----------
In this episode, I sit down with my good friend and colleague Dr. Stephen Cervantes—Doctor Marriage—to explore the vital roles of empathy, attunement, and responsiveness in relationships. We share personal stories and practical tips for husbands who want to connect more deeply with their wives.
Dr. Cervantes explains how empathy means “practicing sadness with someone,” and we discuss how attunement and responsiveness help build emotional closeness. Whether you’re new to these skills or looking to grow, this conversation offers encouragement and real-life tools for nurturing a more compassionate, Christ-centered marriage.
To get daily insights from Stephen, visit DoctorMarriage.org.
Topics Covered in this Episode:
- Importance of empathy, attunement, and responsiveness in marriage counseling.
- Definition of empathy as "practicing sadness with someone" and its role in emotional connection.
- The significance of being present with a partner during their emotional struggles.
- Clarification of empathy in a Christian context, equating it with compassion.
- The necessity of having the right emotional tools for genuine connection in relationships.
- The concept of attunement as matching a partner's mood and emotional state.
- The role of nonverbal communication in attunement and emotional connection.
- The importance of responsiveness after attuning to a partner's emotional state.
- The impact of emotional presence on healing and deeper connection in relationships.
- The ongoing nature of learning and practicing these skills for emotional growth in marriage.
More Resources:
- Daily Thoughts from Doctor Marriage
- Building True Intimacy* by Drake and Raabsmith
- Help Her Heal* by Carol J. Sheets
Related Podcasts:
*This is an affiliate link. Be Broken may earn referral fees on purchases through this link.
----------
Please rate and review our podcast: Apple Podcasts
Follow us on our Vimeo Channel.