Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken out about the term « conscious uncoupling, » which she used in a 2014 post on her wellness website to announce her separation from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The term, which was initially coined by Katherine Woodward Thomas in 2009, has since become a topic of conversation and curiosity. Paltrow explained that the term was a way to circumvent the pain of divorce and go directly to the point where the couple can remain friends and remember what they loved about each other. She added that she feels proud to have played a small part in the cultural shift towards conscious uncoupling.
In a recent Instagram Story question-and-answer session, Paltrow said that despite receiving criticism for the term when she first announced her separation, she feels proud to have made some divorces a little bit easier and happier. She also spoke about the term during an appearance on Today, where she explained that even though she and Martin are not in a romantic relationship, they are still a true family and like to do things to reinforce that they are a family for the children and for each other.
The concept of conscious uncoupling involves reexamining the whole concept of marriage and divorce and seeing something far more powerful and positive at play. By choosing to handle the uncoupling in a conscious way, regardless of what’s happening with the spouse, the couple can see that although it looks like everything is coming apart, it’s actually all coming back together. Paltrow said that she is happy to have introduced the concept and that she feels proud when people come up to her on the streets and say thank you for introducing the concept because they have become good friends with their ex.
Keywords: Gwyneth Paltrow, conscious uncoupling, divorce, separation, family, cultural shift, Katherine Woodward Thomas.
