Testimonials
You can watch a short video clip of a couple telling their story, or read the stories and articles below.
Retrouvaille works when both spouses are open to the programme. Many consider the programme to be like a self help marriage seminar. This page contains stories of a few of the many couples who have successfully 'turned around' troubled marriages. Each story deals with a different marital problem. 17,000 couples worldwide have experienced a Retrouvaille Programme in the past three years. Learning how to communicate effectively and clearly can be a key element in saving a troubled marriage.
Separate, busy lives |
Infidelity |
A teenager's view |
Finding hope |
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Maria and Paul went out together for eight years and lived with each other for three of them so that by the time they got married in 1991 they felt they knew each other. "We did, but not quite as well as we thought," says Paul. |
Looking back on 47 years of marriage, Helen could see that six children, bereavement, two jobs, separate interests and different agendas all posed challenges to their relationship. Her husband had two affairs. |
Holly Fagan's parents were unhappy and all the family could feel the tension. She describes how things changed after they attended the Retrouvaille programme and how she has benefited from witnessing this. |
Tracey, at 33 years old, would never have admitted that she was in a troubled marriage. She knew deep inside that she did not want to live the rest of her life going back and forth from arguing to the silent treatment. |
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Learning to listen |
Distance & resentment |
We survived! |
A crucial decision |
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Liz and Geoff had to face the fact that after 20 years of living together, they were like two strangers who had nothing in common but their children. Tension levels increased until a persistent friend suggested Retrouvaille. |
Joe & Mary Murphy had been married for 20 years but at least 10 of those had been what Joe describes as 'a silent hell'. They were full of resentment towards each other. 'Everything was empty & joyless. We had built a wall between us.' |
Gary and Debbie thought their marriage was made in heaven, and protected it by avoiding sharing negative feelings. After 10 years together, without either of them realising it, slowly but surely a great distance had grown between them. |
Couples describe how they came to the decision to attend a Retrouvaille programme. Some were unwilling and had to be persuaded by a spouse or a friend, others felt they had nothing to lose. Some were already separated. |
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