More than 4 million Americans enter into marriage every year, of which, virtually all do so with the hope and expectation of building a life with a partner they love and trust. It is an unfortunate reality that half of those marriages or more fail to live up to that expectation, ending in separation and divorce. Many divorcing couples, however, are surprised to realize in hindsight that their romantic relationship may have revealed clues that their marriage was actually in trouble.
While not necessarily true in other cultures throughout the world, Western culture places a large degree of importance on sexual attraction between partners in a marriage. Author, psychologist and television personality, Dr. Phil McGraw maintains 'the belief that sex is not important is a dangerous and intimacy-eroding myth. [Sex] allows us to experience a quality level of closeness, vulnerability and sharing with our partners. 'A healthy sexual relationship with your spouse bodes very well for the overall health of the marriage.
Signs of trouble in your marriage, however, may show up in your sex life first. It may initially seem easy to dismiss them as physical or emotional anomalies, but sometimes, they may be symptoms of much deeper relational issues. For example, if you find yourself making excuses to avoid sexual contact with your spouse, or you feel your spouse is only being sexual out of guilt, it is very likely that there are underlying reasons that might be completely unrelated to sex itself.
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