Sonakshi Sinha took couples therapy after 3 years into relationship with Zaheer; Expert shares why it's important

Actor Sonakshi Sinha and husband Zaheer Khan took therapy after 3 years of dating each other. (Picture Credit: Instagram/@aslisona)

Actor Sonakshi Sinha married Zaheer Khan in 2024 after dating for 7 years. From whatever they post online and their shared moments from miscellaneous events, they come across as a goofy couple who share a great camaraderie. Recently, the actor came on Soha Ali Khan's podcast 'Is There A Perfect Formula For Love? Red Flags, Green Flags, & Beige Flags' and revealed that after 3 years into the relationship with Zaheer, it was the latter who suggested that they take couples therapy.

Sinha said, "I had a phase just when we were three years into the relationship, where we wanted to pull each other's hair. And no matter what we did, we just could not understand the other person's perspective."

Talking about taking couples therapy, Sinha mentioned, "But we knew in our hearts that we have to make it work somehow. We did actually do couples therapy, and it was Zaheer who suggested it."

There are a lot of people out there who don't really believe in taking couples therapy, but it worked out well for Sinha. On the podcast she shared that just two sessions of couples therapy helped the duo strengthen their bond. She shared, "The way they are saying it is not... these small small things. Not to take things personally, to understand where the person is coming from. A lot of different factors came into play in helping us understand each other so much better."

Moneycontrol team reached out to relationship expert Ruchi Ruuh to understand how couples therapy can actually benefit individuals to work on their relationship together as a team.

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"Couples therapy gives couples a neutral and structured space to listen to each other instead of reacting to each other's every comment. A therapist can help them unpack the patterns behind their conflicts and communication. These could be emotional triggers, unmet needs or vicious communication habits that don't do good to the relationship," Ruuh said.

She further shared that a lot of people think therapy is to decide who's right or wrong. However, it is so not the case. By taking therapy, couples can actually begin to see and understand each other's perspectives in a better way.

"Couples therapy is for everyone. No matter how grave or trivial your fight may seem, one must not hesitate before taking therapy, as it helps couples at all stages. In fact, it works best when taken early. As soon as an individual sees the first few signs of repetitive conflict, misunderstandings or emotional disconnect, they must take therapy," added Ruuh.

Signs when a couple must consider taking couples therapy:

1. You have the same argument again and again, without any progress or resolution.

2. One or both partners feel unheard, misunderstood or overwhelmed in the relationship.

3. You can feel the emotional distance and it's slowly been taken over by passive aggressive behaviour or uncomfortable silences.

4. All attempts to communicate your feelings and emotions lead to escalation.

5. Life transitions like moving in, engagement, marriage, children are aggravating stress in the relationship.

6. One should also take couples therapy even if there's no major problem, but they want to work on their mutual understanding and build healthy habits.

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One big mistake couples make...

"When couples take the decision to take couples therapy, it reflects emotional maturity on their part and not weakness. Many couples wait until resentment sets in their relationship and later on it becomes difficult to solve issues. It's about time taking couples therapy is normalised, and more and more individuals step forward to taking therapy," Ruuh said on  a concluding note.