Loving Your Partner Without Losing Your Self

by Martha Beveridge MSSW, Harville Hendrix (Foreword), Helen Hunt (Foreword)

Many men and women enter relationships with high hopes and romantic passion, only to find themselves feeling angry, hurt, disappointed, and frustrated. They may begin to doubt whether they’ll ever free themselves from painful patterns and rediscover their passion. The majority of relationship books focus on how partners interact. But the advice offered is often impossible to follow because it ignores two essential issues that each mate must address and master — personal development and boundary healing. Martha Beveridge guides readers toward trusting, committed relationships that allow room for each partner’s individuality.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2001

Reviews

[Radha Kumari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the lessons in the book might seem a bit excessive and difficult to accomplish, it does shed light on why relationships are so screwed up and how one can identify their part of the problem and possibly grow and heal. Much of the content seems to revolve around Imago therapy which is again an interesting way of looking at things, and according to my understanding is a very plausible explanation of human behaviour in intimate relationships or in general for that matter.

[Elizabeth Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally got this book because I thought it was going to be about self-empowerment and autonomy inside of a relationship. However, it was really about setting healthy boundaries for healthy communication, which is still valuable, if not what I was looking for. Some of the suggestions seem trite, such as the script of "Safe Dialogue" which I feel most people would have a hard time taking seriously, but still there was some valuable insight in it as well. Again, if Good Reads had half stars, I would tack one on to the three I've given.