Happy Together
Creating a Lifetime of Connection, Commitment, and Intimacy
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
No matter how much passion there is at the beginning of a relationship, for love to last it must be actively created. Dr. Bill Cloke, an innovative and successful couples' therapist, has been helping couples create lasting connection, commitment, and intimacy by learning the essential relationship skills he now reveals in Happy Together. With sensitivity and practicality, Happy Together pinpoints the issues and actions that can make or break our relationships. Step by step, it will show you: How to identify and overcome personal barriers to meaningful and satisfying connections, The defensive ways we unknowingly kill love and how to learn from conflict to create deeper intimacy The role of passion and sexuality in our relationships, How to understand & deal with issues of shame and rage that can impact our ability to love, Why deeply held myths about family, marriage, and idealized romance can create expectations that damage our connection with each other, How to become partners in problem-solving, How to effectively use the tools of compassionate communication and "constructive complaining." Rich with practical tips and techniques, including sample dialogues to help you make meaningful changes, Happy Together will guide you in perfecting the skills you need to create a positive vision for your relationship and a road map for happiness.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Good communication may be the key to a lasting, loving marriage, but not just any communication. In his first book Cloke argues that real talk based in real life not myth or fantasy is missing, and discovering how to achieve this level of communication can reverse the course of a failing marriage. The author, a popular psychotherapist, urges couples to examine both practical priorities and values and whatever they may be idealizing, be that money, sex, or a different definition of success. Couples need to look at behavior and communication patterns from their childhoods, Cloke argues, offering a practical guide and dozens of questions to foster dialogue and reflection. The goal is to end the cycle of hurtful communication by exposing and learning from the emotionally-wounded, angry child behind the adult self, and hallmarks of effective communication (criticism vs. constructive complaint, for example) are delineated. While Cloke's ideas about what makes a marriage work are far from revolutionary, he goes beyond common sense, and his case studies put complex marital problems and solutions on display. This is a thorough treatment plan for the troubled marriage; in the absence of couples' therapy, or in conjunction with it, it will prove helpful.
