What is PACT Couples therapy NJ
💑 How Couples Therapy Using the PACT Method Can Help You Feel Closer Again
💬 What Is PACT Couples Therapy?
PACT stands for the Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy. It’s a science-based therapy that helps couples feel safe, connected, and emotionally secure again.
Developed by Dr. Stan Tatkin, PACT looks at three main areas:
🧠 Neuroscience – how your brain and nervous system react in relationships
🧬 Attachment theory – how your early relationships affect how you connect today
👀 Somatic awareness – how your body gives clues about what you're really feeling
PACT helps couples notice their body’s responses to each other (like shutting down or getting tense), understand what those reactions mean, and learn how to respond with care instead of conflict.
😞 Do You Feel Stuck in the Same Arguments?
Do small disagreements turn into big fights? 💥
Does one of you shut down while the other gets louder? 🙉
Do you love each other but feel emotionally distant? 💔
Do you feel like you're walking on eggshells or always misunderstood? 🥚
These are common signs that your nervous systems are reacting to stress, not just the words being said.
❤️ PACT helps couples understand and regulate those reactions — together.
🧠 How Your Brain and Body Affect Your Relationship
In stressful moments, your survival brain (the part that reacts quickly to danger) kicks in before your thinking brain can catch up. Your heart races, your muscles tense, or you shut down. These are biological responses, not personality flaws.
PACT teaches couples to:
Recognize their own fight, flight, or freeze reactions 🥶
Learn to calm themselves and each other down (called arousal regulation) 🧘♂️
Repair moments of disconnection quickly and gently 🤝
Your therapist will help you see and feel these patterns in real time, so you can start to change them — not just talk about them.
🤝 What Makes PACT Therapy Different?
Most therapy styles focus on talking, but PACT adds something deeper: watching what your body is doing while you're talking — because your body tells the truth.
In a PACT session, you and your partner sit face-to-face and stay emotionally connected. Your therapist gently guides you to:
Track facial expressions, tone, and posture 🪞
Slow down and notice reactions before they spiral 💬
Take care of each other’s emotional safety 🛟
Practice staying secure, stable, and connected even during hard conversations
PACT also teaches the idea of the “couple bubble” — a safe zone where both of you protect each other emotionally, so no one feels left out or alone. 💞
💖 At Compassionate Empowered Counseling, We Help You Rebuild Safety and Connection
We use the PACT method because we believe in helping couples not just solve problems, but create a strong, lasting bond built on:
Mutual care and emotional safety 🤗
Clear understanding of each other’s triggers 🧠
Quick recovery from conflict 🔄
Deep trust and teamwork 🙌
Even if things feel tense or distant now, it’s possible to rebuild closeness — with the right support and tools.
📞 Let’s Start Rebuilding — Together
You and your partner deserve to feel safe, loved, and supported. ❤️
PACT couples therapy can help you notice what’s happening beneath the surface, regulate your nervous systems, and grow your connection in ways that last.
👉 Call today for a free consultation at 201-994-6706
💬 Book a session and learn how your body and brain can lead you back to each other
You’re not broken. Your relationship isn’t hopeless. It just needs a little rewiring — and we’re here to help. 💑✨