Rachel and Jake had been married for decades and began couples therapy when Rachel thought about leaving. Jake didn’t treat her well, and she was tired of it. They progressed quickly through counseling and now began to reflect on what they were doing differently.

Rachel shared that she was learning to pause. She attended a women’s meeting, where they discussed taking a sacred pause. Jake said he was learning not to react but instead to respond. 

Jake tended to be mean, and it wasn’t clear how aware he was of that. Now, he was taking his own pause and responding instead of reacting.