Last night, OWN premiered the second season of Dr. Laura Berman’s show, In the Bedroom.  Absent for more than a few months now,  Dr. Berman has always been direct and open about talking about relationships and sex and gives a little edge to the network.  A show that hits the 10pm time slot in most locations means you are watching in the dark and depending on where you are in your life, the lessons that you need to see will show up.  Relationships and communication are the foundation of all relationships – sexual or otherwise.  If you can connect and talk about it, that’s where the work is.   Tonight, Dr. Berman reminded us of this very fundamental lesson.

Last night, Dr. Berman introduced us to a couple, Mario and Chanda, who have some emotional barriers that need to come down before he can say, “I do” and before she says, “I’m done.”  In the Bedroom takes us beyond the sexual relationship of the couple and into the core connection…leaving us with a simple lesson – listen to the people that you love in your life AND tell the people in your life what you need.  When you really listen with an open heart, you are loving.  It’s that simple.  Simple ingredients that sometimes we all have a tough time counquering.  It’s the little intricacies that make up that personal connection – and like any communication channel, it’s a two way conversation…even if there is nothing coming back…that’s still communication.

In Dr. Berman fashion, she assigns “homework” to focus on each other and bring the couple closer together and doesn’t hold back with being direct and honest.  In the real world, Dr. B would have months to work with these couples.  In the TV world, she has hours.  However, the lessons captured in this episode and the real journey that this couple traveled offered the same path.  Focus. Communication. Fix yourself. Move forward. Know what you want.  Be loving.  All of this and more…  Welcome back Dr. B.  We’ve missed your lessons.  We know that they are “couple’s focused” and sometimes they REALLY ARE couple’s focused, but this episode reminded us that communication and connections are deeper than words.   You have to get into the heart…and you have to open up yours to let others in.