Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
Written By: Sue Johnson
Book Synopsis:
Heralded by the New York Times and Time magazine as the couple therapy with the highest rate of success, Emotionally Focused Therapy works because it views the love relationship as an attachment bond. This idea, once controversial, is now supported by science, and has become widely popular among therapists around the world.
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
Written By: Gary Chapman
Book Synopsis:
Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a friendly, often humorous style, he unpacks each one.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
Written By: John Gottman, PhD
Book Synopsis:
John Gottman’s unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make – and break -a marriage. Here is the culmination of that work: the seven principles that guide couples on a path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward yet profound, these principles teach partners new approaches for resolving conflicts.
The Emotionally Destructive Marriage
Written By: Leslie Vernick
Book Synopsis:
You can’t put it into words, but something is happening to you. Your stomach churns, your heart aches, and the tension in your marriage is making you feel weary and a little crazy. The constant criticism, disrespect, cruelty, deceit, and gross indifference are eroding your confidence and breaking your spirit.
Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
Written By: Lundy Bancroft
Book Synopsis:
In this groundbreaking bestseller, Lundy Bancroft – a counselor who specializes in working with abusive men -uses his knowledge about how abusers think to help women recognize when they are being controlled or devalued in a relationship, and to find ways to get free of abuse.
Surviving Infidelity: Making Decisions, Recovering from the Pain
Written By: Rona B Subotnik
Book Synopsis:
Nothing your marriage has sustained in the past compares to the pain of discovering that your spouse has been unfaithful. The betrayal, rage, sadness, and jealousy is unlike anything you’ve experienced before. And yet it is possible to move forward, decide what to do in your marriage, and most important, heal.
How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage
Written By: Milan and Kay Yerkovich
Book Synopsis:
Relationship experts Milan and Kay Yerkovich explain why the ways you and your spouse relate to each other go back to before you even met. Drawing on the powerful tool of attachment theory, Milan and Kay explore how your childhood created an “intimacy imprint” that affects your marriage today.
The Power of Two: Secrets to a Strong and Loving Marriage
Written By: Susan Heitler
Book Synopsis:
This book details the communication and conflict-resolution skills that happy couples use to deal with differences. Psychologist Susan Heitler clarifies the basics of collaborative dialogue and shows how these techniques can be applied to even the most sensitive issues in ways that respond to both partners’ needs and help to strengthen their relationship.
Surviving an Affair
Written By: Willard Harley and Jennifer Harley Chalmers
Book Synopsis:
In Surviving an Affair, Drs. Harley and Chalmers describe the most common types of affairs, the reasons they begin and end, the best way to end them, and the best way to restore a marriage after an affair. But most importantly, they help readers survive the ordeal by providing them with step-by-step guidance that minimizes suffering and offers hope for rebuilding a trusting marital relationship.
Books for Dealing With Bereavement and Grief
A Widow’s Journey: Reflections on Walking Alone
Written By: Gayle Roper
Book Synopsis:
Is there only you? Then join Gayle as she draws on her emotions during the loss of her beloved husband, Chuck, and offers you a compassionate devotional to encourage you through your darkest days. Gayle knows a widow’s pain is deep. But she also knows God’s love is deeper still. And it’s in His love you’ll find your deepest comfort.
Grief’s Courageous Journey: A Workbook
Written By: Sandi Caplan
Book Synopsis:
Grieving the loss of a loved one is an intensely personal process. If you’re grieving a loss, this book takes your hand and guides you, at your own pace, along the path of your own healing journey. Grief’s Courageous Journey provides a compassionate program of steps to take for coping with day-to-day life and accepting the changes in yourself and others.
The One Year Book of Hope
Written By: Nancy Guthrie
Book Synopsis:
This book is for anyone who has been hurt in life and would benefit from a hope-filled daily companion. Critically acclaimed author Nancy Guthrie offers insightful daily reflections based on the Word of God to comfort, encourage, and uplift those who are feeling the aches of life – whether it’s because of everyday disappointments or deep losses.
A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss
Written By: Jerry Sittser
Book Synopsis:
A Grace Disguised plumbs the depths of sorrow, whether due to illness, divorce, or the loss of someone we love. The circumstances are not important; what we do with those circumstances is. In coming to the end of ourselves, we can come to the beginning of a new life?one marked by spiritual depth, joy, compassion, and a deeper appreciation of simple blessings.
Books for Dealing With Anxiety
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life
Written By: Steven Hayes and Spencer Smith
Book Synopsis:
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a new, scientifically based psychotherapy that takes a fresh look at why we suffer and even what it means to be mentally healthy. What if pain were a normal, unavoidable part of the human condition, but avoiding or trying to control painful experience were the cause of suffering and long-term problems that can devastate your quality of life?
The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
Written By: Elaine Aron
Book Synopsis:
Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water? Are you “too shy” or “too sensitive” according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? If your answers are yes, you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).
The Mindful Way through Anxiety: Break Free from Chronic Worry and Reclaim Your Life
Written By: Susan M. Orsillo PhD and Lizabeth Roemer PhD
Book Synopsis:
You can’t just “get over” anxiety. In fact, the very things most people do to try to feel better – avoiding feared situations, pushing worry out of mind -only make the problem worse. Leading psychologists Susan M. Orsillo and Lizabeth Roemer present a powerful new alternative that can help you break free of anxiety by fundamentally changing how you relate to it.
The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques
Written By: Margaret Wehrenberg Psy.D.
Book Synopsis:
Anxiety disorders-grouped into three main categories: panic, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety-are among the most common and pervasive mental health complaints. From the subtlest effect of sweaty palms during a work presentation to the more severe symptom of reclusion, anxiety casts a wide net.