false 140578 1 People joke that the start of a couple's marriage means the end of their sex life. David Schnarch, a sex therapist praised by Pepper Schwartz, uses epiphany-laden conversations taken directly from his own marriage and the married couples he sees in practice to help readers defy the myth that marriages are necessarily passionless, and instead prove that the longer a couple has been together, the higher the fireworks can fly. It's especially aimed at older couples who, Schnarch says, are self-actualized and therefore better able to handle intimacy than younger partners. "People have difficulty with intimacy because they're supposed to," he says, and goes on in this inspiring book to combine elements of marriage therapy and sex therapy to bring plenty of practical, fresh ideas to the crowd of mostly vapid relationship books. (Note that despite its title, it's for any emotionally committed couple, not just married folks.) <p> Schnarch says that a man is more likely to let a relationship suffer in order to hold on to his sense of self, while a woman is more apt to let her identity suffer to help strengthen it. Schnarch gives explicit tips on how to alter this pattern, an essential step he calls "differentiation." He also explains why compromise isn't always the best route to take when conflicts arise. The couples profiled here deal with the usual suspects: uneven sexual desire and initiation, battles about oral sex, self-image problems, the "boondoggle" of trust (both of one's self and one's partner), and the specter of divorce. Instead of focusing on each client's weaknesses, Schnarch teaches how to find inner strength and resilience that can be used to reaffirm a relationship and reignite sex. William H. Masters of Masters and Johnson fame calls this book "a classic," and no wonder. <i>--Erica Jorgensen</I> 135481 15 5 1998 Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships total:208|5:3|4:4|3:0|2:0|1:0| 208 853 349 70 4 2 false false Wed Sep 10 12:35:27 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 12:36:25 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Jan 31 18:10:15 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 31 18:17:52 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Mon Nov 05 15:43:48 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 05 16:01:50 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Feb 22 05:21:28 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 05:22:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue Jan 20 11:55:44 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 09:46:31 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 06:47:19 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 06:57:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 10 01:40:18 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 10 01:42:03 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Jul 19 14:54:17 -0700 2009 Thu Feb 19 14:25:23 -0800 2009 Sun Jul 19 14:54:17 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Tue Jan 22 17:16:53 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 17:36:52 -0800 2008
That w...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Aug 05 11:00:05 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 16 19:42:51 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 05 11:00:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 23 17:08:03 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 23 17:08:03 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 29 23:15:25 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 14 19:05:09 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jun 25 20:54:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 25 21:01:15 -0700 2007 I learned more about how to take care of myself and...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed May 14 19:57:46 -0700 2008 Wed May 14 19:57:46 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false true Tue Sep 15 15:49:49 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 15:51:17 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Sep 02 15:39:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 15:39:53 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 03:48:29 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 03:50:24 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 19:01:23 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 20:04:55 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 12:39:20 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 08:16:51 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Mon Apr 06 15:13:32 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 15:15:25 -0700 2009 This book was not a good one.]]>