E16: Darren Bagwell Marriage & Family Therapist Shares Insights on a Strong and Healthy Marriage

Episode 16 - Insights from Family & Marriage Therapist Darren Bagwell | Tools for Marriage

Join us for an insightful conversation with licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Darren Bagwell, as he shares his personal journey and professional wisdom on healing attachment wounds and moving toward secure connection in marriage. Darren unveils the critical role of your "Attachment Imprint," explaining why the high-achieving "Golden Child" identity often fails in partnership, and how the Anxious Pleaser pattern emerges. You’ll learn tangible, compassionate steps to integrate your Inner Child, utilize the Comfort Circle for safety and attunement, and embrace the 3 R's framework (Recover, Repair, and Reconnect) to transform conflict into deeper intimacy. This episode is a must-listen for any couple ready to stop managing surface-level conflict and start building a marriage defined by lasting security and heartfelt understanding.

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome & Meet Darren Bagwell: Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
0:01:06 From Sociology to Diamond Sales: The Winding Path to MFT
0:05:09 The Pivot to Counseling: Grad School, MFT, and the EMDR Approach
0:07:10 Trauma is What Happens Inside: The Origin of the "Attachment Imprint"
0:11:10 The Anxious Pleaser & Discovering the How We Love Model
0:15:35 When the "Golden Child" Breaks: Marital Crisis and the Wounds from Childhood
0:21:26 The Inner Child: Why Understanding Your Past is Key to Your Present
0:33:40 The Comfort Circle: A Tool for Safety, Attunement, and Secure Connection
0:42:00 Humility & Ownership: The Two Keys to Moving Through Marital Crisis
0:47:00 Advice for Newlyweds: Marriage as a Process of "Becoming"
0:54:30 The 3 R's Framework: Recover, Repair, and Reconnect

Show Notes:

Darren Bagwell - https://www.darrenbagwell.com/
Reunion Counseling - https://www.reunioncounseling.com/
The Formation Agency - https://theformationagency.com/
How We Love - https://howwelove.com
Tools for Marriage - https://toolsformarriage.com

About Darren Bagwell:

Darren is passionate about helping you navigate through the complexities of life in order to find the best solution available. Darren has clinical experience working with anxiety, depression, divorce complications, co-parenting, adjustment issues, addiction, trauma, and relational conflict. He enjoys working with individuals that feel stuck or struggling to find their path as well as couples, families and young adults.

Darren Bagwell , M.A., LMFT Marriage & Family Counselor
https://www.darrenbagwell.com/
949.274.3816
Darren@relationship180.com
26131 Marguerite Parkway, Suite A
Mission Viejo, CA 92692