Growing up with two parents who specialised in relationship therapy gave me a unique insight into the importance of relationships from an early age. My father's words ‘Jiveny there is nothing to life but relationships’ instilled in me a natural curiosity to understand how to make the most of them. Later in life, my own experiences of heartbreak motivated me to get even more serious about learning how to build better relationships. Now, as a dating and attraction coach, I have used my experience and expertise, as well as feedback from my clients, to compile my top 5 books for understanding relationships.
I recommend Attached to my clients all the time as it’s a great book for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of attachment theory and how it affects relationships. The book is based on the research of Dr. Levine, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, who has studied attachment theory for over 20 years.
Attachedprovides an easy-to-follow crash course on the three most common attachment styles, helping readers identify their own tendencies and learn how to become a more secure partner. It also offers practical advice on how to spot other people’s attachment styles while dating, so that readers can better understand the dynamics at play and how to address them. With its clear explanations of the science behind adult attachment and its helpful tips for navigating relationships, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to build healthier connections with others.
“Over a decade after its publication, one book on dating has people firmly in its grip.” —The New York Times
We already rely on science to tell us what to eat, when to exercise, and how long to sleep. Why not use science to help us improve our relationships? In this revolutionary book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel Heller scientifically explain why why some people seem to navigate relationships effortlessly, while others struggle.
Discover how an understanding of adult attachment—the most advanced relationship science in existence today—can help us find and sustain love. Pioneered by psychologist John…
Getting the Love You Want is an insightful and comprehensive guide to understanding and improving relationships. The book is based on Hendrix’s Imago Relationship Therapy, which he developed with his wife, Helen LaKelly Hunt and has been an invaluable resource for me in understanding the psychology of attraction and the often unconscious forces that shape our relationships.
In this book, Hendrix provides readers with a step-by-step approach to understanding their own needs and those of their partner. He explains how to identify and address the underlying issues that can cause conflict in relationships, such as unmet childhood needs, power struggles, and communication problems. He also offers practical advice on how to create a safe environment for couples to express their feelings and work through conflicts. I particularly love the conscious partnership manifesto outlined towards the end of the book as it became inspiration for my own marriage vows.
In Getting the Love You Want, Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen Hunt offer the relationship skills that have helped millions of couples replace confrontation and criticism with a process of mutual support that facilitates healing and growth at any stage of a relationship. This extraordinary practical guide describes the revolutionary technique that combines a number of disciplines - including the behavioural sciences, depth psychology, social learning theory, Gestalt therapy, and interpersonal neurosciences, among others - to create a program that transforms conflict into creative tension that deepens connection and renews passion.
This one is specifically aimed at singles, though I believe it’s an interesting read for anyone – single or not! In Keeping the Love You Find, Harville Hendrix provides an insightful look into how our experiences through childhood can affect our ability to form healthy relationships as adults and what we can do about it.
What I found particularly interesting was the explanation of the different developmental objectives of each stage of childhood and what can happen when those goals are disrupted. Of course, all insights are backed up by research and personal experience, making them both informative and very relatable. Additionally, Hendrix provides readers with exercises that can be used to help them better understand their own needs and form more meaningful connections with others.
Overall, I found this really insightful and interesting to reflect on, particularly in its relevance to my own childhood as well as how I could be a more supportive parent to a child in the future. All in all, Keeping the Love You Find is an excellent resource for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of relationships and how to create healthy ones.
New York Times bestseller featured on Oprah! "Keeping the Love You Find is a model that explains healthy love and what to do in a relationship to become whole."Alanis Morissette, Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Read the powerful follow-up to the runaway bestseller, Getting the Love You Want. Do you dream of finding a partner in life? It's a natural human instinct and your dream is perfectly achievable. However, even the most well-adjusted people can have unresolved conflicts that make them seek out unsuitable romantic partners, unwittingly sabotage their relationships, and run from commitment without ever knowing the reasons why.…
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning more about the therapeutic process and the power of relationships. Through her own personal experiences as a therapist, Gottlieb provides readers with a unique perspective on the therapeutic process and what it means to be human. She artfully weaves together stories of her clients, exploring their struggles and triumphs in a way that is both engaging and relatable.
Her writing style is both honest and compassionate—I laughed and cried at various points throughout the book and enjoyed her thought-provoking insights into the inner workings of therapy. She also provides an intimate look into her own life, exploring her own struggles and triumphs as a therapist. Overall, I found this a very enjoyable read and wish there were more books like it!
Ever wonder what your therapist is thinking? Now you can find out, as therapist and New York Times bestselling author Lori Gottlieb takes us behind the scenes of her practice - where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).
When a personal crisis causes her world to come crashing down, Lori Gottlieb - an experienced therapist with a thriving practice in Los Angeles - is suddenly adrift. Enter Wendell, himself a veteran therapist with an unconventional style, whose sessions with Gottlieb will prove transformative for her.
Neil Strauss is a master storyteller and his book, The Truth, is a captivating follow-up to his controversial best-seller, The Game. In this candid memoir, Strauss takes readers on an emotional journey as he attempts to answer the question of whether monogamy is really for him.
The book begins with Strauss in rehab for sex addiction, a result of the success of his previous book and the world it threw him into. From there, he embarks on a relationship odyssey that leads him into all kinds of experiences from tantra cults to swinger’s clubs and beyond. His humorous and honest writing style had me laughing out loud at times as I read it at the airport and I deeply admire his vulnerability in bearing all.
The Truth is a fun and insightful exploration into relationships and commitment that will leave readers questioning their own beliefs about love and monogamy. It's an entertaining read that will make you laugh, cry, and think deeply about your own relationships. In summary, I highly, highly recommended it!
This is not a journey that was undertaken for journalistic purposes. It is a painfully honest account of a life crisis that was forced on me by my own behavior and its consequences.
"As such, it requires sharing a lot of things I'm not proud of—and a few things I feel like I should regret a whole lot more than I actually do. Because, unfortunately, I am not the hero in this tale. I am the villain."
So begins Neil Strauss's long-awaited follow-up to The Game, the funny and slyly instructive work of immersive journalism that jump-started the international "seduction…
There is no decision that will have a greater impact on our lives than who we choose to give our heart to and share our emotional, parental, and financial future with. With divorce rates over 40 percent in much of the world, it's clear many of us need some help in picking partners. Unique father-daughter team psychiatrist Dr. George Blair-West and dating coach Jiveny Blair-West unlock the science and the secrets to making the biggest decision of your life.
If you're single, this book will give you clarity and the confidence to choose a better partner. If you're in a relationship, it will help you to work out if you should stay or go. Either way, this book will empower you to take charge of your relationship destiny.
I read and write to better understand people. Why do we do what we do, feel what we feel, hide what we hide? Any book that illuminates these questions and their answers draws me in. Reading and writing are ways that I can attempt to walk in someone else’s shoes and see the world through their eyes, expanding my own understanding of the world. Perhaps the books on this list will offer you the same opportunity.
Ava Winston likes her life of routine in Lexington, Kentucky. Then a tornado blows it away. Ava is safe in the basement, but when she emerges, only one corner of her home stands. Rather than crumbling under the loss, she feels a load lifted. Maybe something beyond the familiar is calling to her. Ava seizes the opportunity to find the owner of a suitcase that landed on her lawn during the storm. Meanwhile, Juniper urges her to rebuild, Ava’s employer doesn’t want her to quit, and her ex-husband invites her back into his life. Ava must be courageous if she’s…
"A loving coming-of-age story for women in mid-life. Brava!" -Adriana Trigiani, Author of The Good Left Undone
". . . captures the true meaning of resilience-something so many women strive to know in the depths of their inner-self." -Sister Robbie Pentecost, OSF former Executive Director of the New Opportunity School for Women
Ava Winston likes her life of routine in Lexington, Kentucky. Each day, she goes to the place she's worked for twenty years, then returns home. On Sundays, she has dinner with her daughter, Juniper. It's a little boring, but as Ava nears fifty-five, she deserves a bit of…
