Rapper Eminem may be known for his controversial lyrics, but he is equally known for his on-again, off-again relationship with his wife -- they have been married and divorced several times to each other.  

A situation that only famous people get placed in? Think again. It happens all the time to people who are teachers, professionals and average parents. Is it ever appropriate to get back together with an ex-spouse?  

"I can see all different kinds of circumstances why you might end up dating someone you've broken up with," said Jessica Bollinger, a therapist in Lexington, Ky. "I think what you can bring in to dating your next spouse is a new beginning, taking in and bringing in new learning that you have about relationships, because we're different people every day ,and we're changing and growing every day. You're kind of bringing in your new self."  

People can always tell when they are falling for an ex-spouse again. "That's a natural thing to come up to people. It's not an accident...," said Catherine Tucker, a therapist in Sacramento, Calif. The questions you should ask if that happens to you, she said: "What do you want to do? Is it an unresolved relationship? Have they worked on it before? Have they been to therapy? Has it not worked?"

"If they've done it all, hey need to say, 'This won't work. Let's not do this. We have the kids and everything else. If we want to try this, we can't just have these little rendezvouses.' I guess I'd have to ask myself this. How does it serve me to stay stuck? Why am I allowing myself to remain emotionally stuck, instead allowing myself to stay here?"  

"A couple gets a divorce and has their reasons for doing that, and after the divorce can decide for any number of reasons that they want to get back together again," said Kevin Rhinehart, a social worker and marriage therapist in Boise, Idaho.  "That can be a good idea, I suppose, provided that there's been a real honest assessment of why they got divorced in the first place, and how each of the parties contributed to that, and how they contributed to the overall dysfunction in the marriage."

Avoiding an important discussion about problems could harm your second attempt. "If those issues haven't really thoroughly been addressed, what they're asking to do is to replay the whole drama out," Rhinehart said.