Matthew Kayser Contributor July 21, 2026
Debra Stangl and Richard Kepple understand that relationships are not failing because love is gone. For many, unresolved emotional wounds, nervous system patterns, and unmet emotional needs often lead people to unconsciously repeat unhealthy relationship patterns, which ultimately lead them down complex paths that silently sabotage the connection underneath the surface.
Debra spent 20 years as a divorce attorney before realizing that most people didn’t want a divorce, but instead, wanted the fighting and emotional pain to stop. As someone who witnessed people go through two or even three divorces over a period of several years, she realized that these people were marrying the same person over and over again—they just had a different name.
After a life-changing awakening in Sedona in 1999, Debra left her law career behind, and after immersing herself in her own healing and transformation, she founded Sedona Soul Adventures in 2002.
Richard transitioned from his previous work in Silicon Valley startups and technology, and a stroke reshaped his understanding of healing, relationships, and purpose.
Upon marrying in 2017, Debra and Richard combined their unique backgrounds in emotional healing, neuroscience, spirituality, and nervous system awareness to create their High-Vibe System™, which aims to reshape how couples understand what’s happening beneath their recurring conflicts.
As part of the High-Vibe System, Debra and Richard developed the Nurturing Needs framework to help couples understand not just how each person experiences love uniquely, but also what creates emotional safety and connection, along with what causes emotional shutdown and disconnection.
“People don’t just learn relationship theory; they experience transformation through real partnership,” the pair shares.
With work that is informed through their professional backgrounds, but also by the healing transformation within their own marriage, Debra and Richard aim to help people understand that conscious relationships require a commitment to ongoing healing, emotional honesty, vulnerability, and growth, which shapes the way people live not just their lives alone, but also with their partner.
Sedona Soul Adventures has been providing transformational retreats for individuals and couples for over two decades. With their team of over 50 Master Practitioners, they have helped thousands of individuals and couples heal from their emotional pain, reconnect deeply with themselves and their partners, and transform their lives and relationships.
Debra and Richard’s new book, High-Vibe Relationship, blends neuroscience, energy healing, and awareness to help couples and individuals get to the root of their problems, understand what fuels past traumas, and solve them in the present for a sustainable future.
“We believe people are not broken, and most relationships are not failing because love is gone,” the team shares. “More often, people are carrying unresolved emotional pain, nervous system patterns, protective behaviors, and unmet emotional needs – what we call ‘gunk’ – that quietly sabotages connection beneath the surface.”
Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2026/07/25/how-hidden-problems-are-sabotaging-relationships/
Peace LiLy 