"When it comes to identifying and changing our money patterns and behaviors, we receive very little help, if any, for understanding ourselves and our money issues. Even most psychologists admit that they are not trained or educated with respect to money issues. And, while the fields of behavioral finance, neuroscience, and neuroeconomics have begun to delve into this arena, any knowledge gained so far is not being utilized in the trenches with real people who are struggling daily to save their relationships and financial lives. At the Money Coaching Institute, we are working to change this dynamic by training hundreds of money coaches worldwide to integrate our programs and to help individuals and couples to heal and change their relationship with money.
"Money is a core survival issue. When people are fearful and anxious about money and their personal finances, they are frequently too overwhelmed and stressed to be focused and present. Prolonged financial pressures also lead to increased problems with spouses; alcohol and drug abuse; and, sadly, a corresponding increase in depression, despair, and suicide. According to the Center for Financial Social Work, money issues are
"• the number one stressor in people's lives
• the number one cause of divorce
• a major source of depression, anxiety, and insomnia
• a primary reason for abuse and violence
• a trigger for alcohol and drug abuse
• overwhelming and immobilizing
• accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, shame, isolation, and vulnerability
• an emotional roller coaster that diminishes coping and decision-making skills
• a cause of distraction, anger, irritability, mistakes, and accidents.
"The bottom line is this: if we do not feel financially safe and secure in our primary relationships, we cannot experience financial intimacy. In order to become truly financially intimate, we must first learn how to openly and honestly communicate about money while safely expressing our hopes, fears, needs, and desires. Without financial intimacy and safety, our relationships lack the foundation required to survive the challenges and experiences that most relationships eventually encounter over time. Thus, at a time when the United States and the world are experiencing major financial meltdowns, relationships are also beginning to experience foundational cracks, and the fallout from both may very well be the worst in history. Even before the current financial debacle, couples were stressed by mounting debt, mortgage foreclosures, and bankruptcies."
