Ask any couple in crisis what their biggest challenge is and the answer is almost always the same:
“We just can’t communicate.”
On the surface, that feels true. Every attempt to talk seems to spiral into silence, arguments, or one partner storming out of the room. But if you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll find something deeper:
It’s not communication that’s failing. It’s comprehension of the layers that influence each persons meaning machine.
Meanings create emotions so we have to be clear that the meanings are accurate.
The Filters That Distort Every Conversation
When you speak, your words don’t travel in a straight line to your partner’s heart. They get run through an entire system of mental filters, most of them unconscious. These filters distort the meaning before your partner has a chance to understand you.
Some of the most common filters are:
- Past experiences – Old wounds shape new conversations. If your partner was criticised in the past, even neutral feedback can sound like attack.
- Beliefs and assumptions – If you believe “I’m not good enough,” almost anything your partner says can feel like proof.
- Emotional state – Stress, exhaustion, or anger twist meaning. “Not now” from a calm partner is a request for space. From a stressed mind, it’s heard as rejection.
- Identity roles – The “CEO self” listens differently than the “husband self.” If you stay in work mode at home, you’ll hear efficiency problems instead of emotional needs.
- Values and needs – What matters most to you colours what you hear. If you value freedom, a request for closeness might sound like control.
By the time your partner hears you, they’re no longer hearing you. They’re hearing their own mind’s version of you.
The Deeper Layer: My Relationship With Myself
At the core of every communication moment is not just what you hear — it’s who you believe you are as you hear it.
- If your self-story is “I’m failing in this marriage”, you’ll filter even gentle feedback as criticism.
- If your self-story is “I’m not lovable”, you’ll hear requests for closeness as pressure and rejection.
- If your identity at home is still your “work identity,” you’ll interpret emotional bids as performance reviews.
In other words: I don’t hear my partner as they are. I hear them through the story I’m living in.
This is why two people can sit in the same room, hear the same words, and walk away with completely different experiences of reality.
When your relationship with yourself is fractured, every conversation becomes a test of worth, safety, or control. When your relationship with yourself is strong, conversations become opportunities for connection, curiosity, and repair.
The Behaviours of Self-Protection
Once the filters and self-story distort meaning, the nervous system does what it’s designed to do: it protects. But in marriage, protection often looks like disconnection.
Here are the most common self-protective behaviours couples fall into:
- Defensiveness – “That’s not true, I do spend time with you!”
- Counter-attack – “Well, you never appreciate what I do!”
- Withdrawal – Silence, stonewalling, or disappearing into work.
- Minimising – “You’re overreacting, it’s not a big deal.”
- Placating – Agreeing quickly just to end the conflict.
Every one of these is understandable, but each is toxic. Because while they protect you, they erode the very oxygen your marriage needs: safety, connection, and trust.
Why I Start With the Individual First
This is exactly why I help individuals understand their relationship with themselves before they enter any couples process.
Because here’s the reality:
- You cannot protect yourself and protect the marriage at the same time.
- You cannot stay defended and keep love alive.
- You cannot both be building walls and expect connection to survive.
Two people protecting themselves from each other will always destroy intimacy. It’s impossible for love to flourish in that environment.
So the first step is helping you build a stronger relationship with yourself, one rooted in clarity, self-worth, and emotional leadership. Only then can you step into the couple’s process equipped to protect the connection, not just yourself.
A Real Example
A wife says after a long day:
“You never spend time with me anymore.”
- If her husband hears it through his self-story, “I’m failing, I’m never good enough” — he may respond defensively: “That’s not true, I was home all weekend.”
- If he hears it with healthy comprehension, “She feels disconnected, she needs closeness” — he can respond with care: “I get it. I’ve been distracted. Let’s plan something for Friday.”
The words didn’t change. The self-story and filters did.
The Final Word
Self-protection is instinctive. But in marriage, it’s fatal. Because the moment you defend, withdraw, or attack, you stop being teammates.
If you want a marriage that not only survives but thrives, stop obsessing over “communication problems.” Words are rarely the problem.
The real skill is comprehension – learning to hear beyond the filters, rewrite your self-story, and connect with the meaning your partner is reaching for.
That’s why the work starts with you.
Because when you stop protecting yourself and start protecting the connection, that’s when love has a chance to breathe again.
Harley Street Expert | Founder & High Performance Coach
With two decades of experience helping couples out of crisis, Stephen the founder of The Marriage Breakthrough Program, uses his proven system for rescuing and rebuilding relationships on the edge of divorce. A trusted advisor to CEOs, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders globally, his work blends emotional intelligence with strategic clarity. Known for navigating highly complex relationship challenges, Stephen helps individuals and couples find clarity and direction when everything is at stake.
Find out more >>> The Marriage Breakthrough Program
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