3 Review(s)

For any individual who has wondered how a perfectly sane person in today's crazy world is supposed to figure out what is expected of them when navigating a loving relationship (and who hasn't?), this book is a must-read. The primary focus is on those issues most pertinent to the individual -- "I", "me", and "you" issues -- relevant to the quest for satisfying, loving relationships. Using case vignettes from the authors' clinical experiences as psychologists, the book's first 15 chapters address the topics of Self Analysis, Relationship Analysis, My Past, Behaviour Analysis, Dichotomous Thinking, Patterns and Trends, Divorce and Separation, Guilt and Shame, Fears and Phobias, Depression, Grieving, Time and Timing, Happiness and Joy, and The Internet (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). The last three address where to look for more help when serious situations arise: Seeing a Professional Counsellor, Therapist or Family Mediator, How a Professional Counsellor or Therapist Can be Helpful to You, and Some Suggestions About Getting Help from a Professional. The book is very reader-friendly, solution-focused and down to earth, and also includes 43 Figures from the author's case files that graphically display the issues and helpful recommendations. The book's authors, with many years of experience as psychologists, professors and scholars, conceptualise loving relationships and improving them as representing developmental processes that are best seen as a kind of ongoing and ever-evolving "dance" between two individuals -- relationships are not events! Reading this book will contribute to, enrich and enhance any individual's developmental process -and especially themselves and their loving relationships.