Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Seven Year Switch S:1 E:5 - Diving Deep





FYI's new hit series Seven Year Switch is must see TV.  From the producers of Married At First Sight, (one of my favorites) comes another radical social experiment. 
Four couples are paired for 2 weeks with an experimental partner that has the "ideal" qualities they think they want. In a last ditch effort, they move in with a stranger in hopes of saving their marriage. 
Episode 5 of FYI's Seven Year Switch is all about trust, the most critical component and foundation of marriage. 
Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Jessica Griffin says, "These couples have forgotten how to be in a functioning relationship. What we're trying to do is help recreate trust in their  experimental marriage so that they're able to take that trust back to their real marriage".







The Experimental Couples

Eric and Rachel


I love the sincerity and honesty that Rachel and Eric bring to this experiment. They each put the other first and stretch outside their comfort zone, something that is important in a real marriage. The moments of self realization are exactly what they need in order to grow in this process. 

Houston and Leah


Houston started out on shaky ground, as he took more than he gave to his wife Aleisha. This week I started to see small changes. Houston admits he is learning from Leah. The realization that he needs to be more appreciative of Aleisha is a baby step in the right direction. 

 Leah says she hasn't learned anything from the experiment. This astounds me because as a viewer, I have learned so much! At this point, she is totally disengaged in the process and still placing full blame on husband Neal. Leah has forgiven herself for cheating, but she hasn't forgiven Neal. Houston, we have a problem. 




Neal and Aleisha



 Neal and Aleisha have a lot in common and do a great job with communication. I love the way Aleisha asks Neal thought provoking questions to get her point across in a non-threatening way. This works really well and makes Neal feel safe when opening up. 

 Neal admits to being shallow and says his level of forgiveness is going down instead of up. Houston, we have another problem. 




CW and Danielle
CW is all business with wife Rachel, but says he is definitely letting his walls down and opening up to Danielle. 

 He jokes and laughs with Danielle and admits to feeling extremely connected to her, something that is lacking in his relationship with Rachel. Ouch. 






One of the AHA moments for me was how differently CW & Danielle and Eric & Rachel viewed the emotional intimacy exercise, where they stare into each other's eyes. 









While CW & Danielle refused the activity because they felt it was too intimate, Eric and Rachel thought practicing emotional intimacy was an important part of the process. 

 Very different lenses, through which I can see both points. 







Meeting the Spouses



 The most intense and awkward part of the show was when the couples met their experimental spouse's significant other.  


Houston and Neal 

Houston was clearly jealous of Neal. Their conversation was hostile and they seemed on the verge of coming to blows with one another. 







Danielle and Rachel

Danielle and Rachel were both emotional, hurt by boundaries that were crossed. 












Leah and Aleisha

Leah shut down in her conversation with Aleisha. This seems to be a pattern. I'm worried about that. 










CW and Eric


Perhaps the most awkward meeting was when CW came out firing accusations at Eric, which immediately put him on the defense. There's a lot more to this story. 

What will happen when these conversations continue next week? I can't wait to find out! 








Golden Nuggets 


If you follow my MAFS blog, you know I'm all about what I can glean from watching the interactions between the couples and advice from the relationship experts. 

 Watching Seven Year Switch provides it's own unique opportunity for personal and relationship growth.


Here are my gems from this week:
  • It's important to share interests with your spouse. Put yourself out there and try something new.
  • Creating moments of emotional intimacy can bring you closer together and bridge gaps.
  • Forgiveness is essential to heal pain and break down barriers. 
  • Ask thought provoking questions to communicate in a non-threatening way. 
  • It's all about trust, trust and more trust. 

I'm off to gaze into my husband's eyes. Until next week...well, maybe we won't be gazing quite THAT long. 

All screen caps are made by Bee, credited to +FYI Television Network 


New Episodes of Seven Year Switch are Tuesdays at 9/8c on FYI 





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