Happy Together: Creating a Lifetime of Connection, Commitment, and Intimacy - Softcover

Coke, Bill, Ph.D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982932413 ISBN 13: 9780982932414

Publisher: Pacific Highlands Pr, 2011

Synopsis

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 and 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 roadmap for happiness. "A good book needs to have at least five great ideas about its subject. Dr. Bill Cloke's Happy Together has at least a hundred." Raphael Cushnir, author of The One Thing Holding You Back: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Connection "Dr. Bill Cloke provides an accurate portrait of how love is created and nourished. This is a must-have book for a lasting relationship." Dr. Carol Bruess and Anna Kudak, authors of What Happy Couples Do "Bill Cloke's Happy Together is full of wisdom, and a compelling read. He stresses that love must be created, every day; the store of love between people must be built up, nourished, and protected. This is how we stay happy together: not just as couples, but as friends and families. This book is a treasure trove of the building blocks of love." Allegra Huston (daughter of director John Huston), author of Love Child

About this title

Review

"Happy Together explains why love, like happiness, is an inside job. Dr. Bill Cloke gives great insights into how to create a loving relationship that lasts." Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason

"Bill Cloke is a genius at showing us how to make the relationship of our dreams more than just a dream. His step-by-step approach for dealing with the most important and sensitive of relationship issues brings us hope that we can develop the skills we need to make our relationships thrive. Especially key are his sections throughout on how to understand our personal pain and that of our partner and then use the conflicts that naturally ensue to create what we all long fora deeply loving and intimate connection. If you are serious about wanting to create and share a truly meaningful love, this book is for you. Happy Together is a genuinely beautiful and practical work that should be every couple's companion for a lifetime." Patricia Spadaro, author of Honor Yourself: The Inner Art of Giving and Receiving

"This book is a must read for those wishing for loving relationships that work! Bill Cloke is a master of practical methods for cultivating intimacy and love. He reveals the deeper causes of problems we face with loved ones and he offers success stories of couples he has treated and solutions we can apply in our own lives." Dr. Joan Goldsmith, coauthor with Warren Bennis of Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader

About the Author

Dr. Bill Cloke has been a couples' therapist for 30 years. His passion is to help both individuals and couples lead more fulfilling lives and relationships by learning essential relationship skills. He holds a PhD in psychology from California Graduate Institute. A frequent talk radio psychologist, he is also a contributor to PsychologyToday.com and other popular websites and has lectured at UCLA. Bill Cloke lives in Los Angeles, where he works with couples, families, and children from a cross-section of cultures.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pacific Highlands Pr
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0982932413
• ISBN 13: 9780982932414
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 222