The Wholehearted Marriage offers practical tools for helping couples keep a passionate connection with one another and understand the role their hearts play in their lives. Drs. Smalley and Stoever maintain that circumstances; such as busy lifestyles; differences between spouses; personal baggage; the loss of a loved one; childhood trauma; etc.; trigger reactions that condition us to close up our hearts for protection; blocking the flow of love. A disengaged; protected heart makes it impossible to experience an intimate; connected marriage. As a result; couples drift apart; trying to find some version of contentment; or they give up altogether and look for love somewhere else. Through their experiences in marriage counseling; Drs. Smalley and Stoever discovered that the commonly heard phrase "I don't love him/her anymore" is merely a camouflaged misunderstanding about what true love is and God's design for it. They affirm that love is more than just a feeling; and that to have true; lasting intimacy; couples need to learn to love wholeheartedly.
