20 Best Books For Relationships (2023 Update)

Words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, physical touching – learning these love languages will get your marriage off to a great start or enhance a long-standing one! chapman explains the purpose of each language and shows you how to identify the one that's meaningful to your spouse now. updated to reflect the complexities of relationships in today's world, this new edition of the 5 love languages reveals intrinsic truths and provides action steps in each chapter that will help you on your way to a healthier relationship. also includes an updated personal profile.

More than 1,000,000 copies sold! strengthen and deepen your relationships with revelatory practical exercises, seven profound conversations, and sage advice from "the best couple's therapist in the world" (john gottman, ph – d, bestselling author) are you looking to enrich a healthy relationship, revitalize a tired one, or rescue one gone awry? enter dr. sue johnson, developer of emotionally focused couple therapy and "the most original contributor to couple's therapy to come along in the last thirty years," according to dr. william j. doherty, ph – d. johnson shares her groundbreaking and remarkably successful program for creating stronger, more secure relationships. the message of hold me tight is simple: forget about learning how to argue better, analyzing your early childhood, making grand romantic gestures, or experimenting with new sexual positions. instead, get to the emotional underpinnings of your relationship by recognizing that you are emotionally attached to and dependent on your partner in much the same way that a child is on a parent for nurturing, soothing, and protection. johnson teaches that the way to enhance or save a relationship is to be open, attuned, and responsive to each other and to reestablish emotional connection. with this in mind, she focuses on key moments in a relationship and uses them as touch points for seven healing conversations, including: recognizing the demon dialogues – finding the raw spots – revisiting a rocky moment – forgiving injuries – keeping your love alive these conversations give you insight into the defining moments in your relationship and guide you in reshaping these moments to create a secure and lasting bond. through stories from dr. johnson's practice, illuminating advice, and practical exercises, you will learn how to nurture, protect, and grow your relationship, ensuring a lifetime of love.

A companion workbook to the enormously successful new york times bestselling relationship book, getting the love you want: a guide for couples. in 1988, harville hendrix in partnership with his wife, helen lakelly hunt, published a terrifically successful relationship guide, getting the love you want. the book introduced thousands to their imago relationship therapy, a unique healing process for couples, prospective couples, and parents, and developed into an overnight sensation. for their part, doctors hendrix and hunt managed to aid scores of couples in their plight for more loving, supportive, and deeply satisfying relationships. now, more than a decade later, this companion book picks up where its predecessor left off, delving further into relationship therapy once again, to help transform relationships into lasting sources of love and companionship. the getting the love you want workbook is designed for the hundreds of thousands of couples who have attended imago workshops since getting the love you want hit bookstands, as well as new and curious ones seeking a practical route back to intimacy and passionate friendship. the workbook contains a unique twelve-week course (the new couples' study guide) designed to help work through the exercises published in part iii of getting the love you want. included are complete step-by-step instructions for transforming relationships into a lasting source of love and companionship.

Safe people will help you discover why good people can get tangled in bad relationships, how to avoid repeating your own mistakes, and how to pick safe, healthy people for the friends you make and the company you keep.too many of us have invested in relationships that have gone wrong. maybe you've been judged, manipulated, or controlled. or maybe you've trusted the wrong people in the past. it's easy to make the same mistakes of judgment over and over–or, worse, to give up on trying to have great, authentic relationships again. but it doesn't have to be that way. in safe people, drs. henry cloud and john townsend teach you that being with an unsafe person can be damaging to your confidence, your trust in others, and even your health. you'll learn that you have the power to surround yourself with accepting, honest, and safe people who draw you closer to being the person god intended you to be.drs. cloud and townsend, authors of the new york times bestseller boundaries, are here to share the lessons they've learned in their years of practicing psychology and studying the patterns and practices that support clear, biblical boundaries. in safe people, they offer guidance for making safe choices in all of your day-to-day relationships, from family and friends to colleagues and partners.safe people will give you the tools you need to recognize what makes people relationally safe, form positive relationships, and even become a safe person along the way. drs. cloud and townsend share expert insights that will help you ask important questions: how can i learn to pick better friends? why do i choose people who let me down? how did i end up with this critical boss? how do i attract irresponsible people? why did i invest money with that unscrupulous person? what is it about me that draws the wrong types of people to me? why am i drawn to the wrong types of people? it's time to revitalize your connections and finally start enjoying the healthy, balanced relationships that you deserve.

What if making one tweak to your day-to-day conversations could immediately improve every relationship in your life? in this 3-hour, conversational read, you'll discover the whats, whys, and hows of one of the most valuable (yet surprisingly little-known) communication skills available–validation. mastery of this simple skill will enable you to: calm (and sometimes even eliminate) the concerns, fears, and uncertainties of others increase feelings of love, respect, and appreciation in your romantic relationships quickly resolve, or even prevent, arguments help others become open to your point of view give advice and feedback that sticks provide support and encouragement to others, even when you don't know how to "fix" the problem and much more in short: this skill is powerful. give the principles and practices in this book a chance and you'll be amazed at the difference they can make.

"what the heck is my partner thinking?" is a common refrain in romantic relationships, and with good reason. every person is wired for love differently, with different habits, needs, and reactions to conflict. the good news is that most people's minds work in predictable ways and respond well to security, attachment, and rituals, making it possible to actually neurologically prime the brain for greater love and fewer conflicts.wired for love is a complete insider's guide to understanding your partner's brain and enjoying a romantic relationship built on love and trust. synthesizing research findings on how and why love lasts drawn from neuroscience, attachment theory, and emotion regulation, this book presents ten guiding principles that can improve any relationship.strengthen your relationship by:creating and maintaining a safe couple bubble” using morning and evening rituals to stay connected learning to fight so that nobody loses becoming the expert on what makes your partner feel loved by learning to use simple gestures and words, readers can learn to put out emotional fires and help their partners feel more safe and secure. the no-fault view of conflict in this book encourages readers to move past a "warring brain" mentality and toward a more cooperative "loving brain" understanding of the relationship. this book is essential reading for couples and others interested in understanding the complex dynamics at work behind love and trust in intimate relationships.while there's no doubt that love is an inexact science, if you can discover how you and your partner are wired differently, you can overcome your differences to create a lasting intimate connection.

New york times, wall street journal, and usa today bestseller – stop working on yourself as an individual and start working on your relationship as a couple, with the help of the renowned family therapist and author of the new rules of marriage “this book is a road map for all of us who seek true intimacy.”—gwyneth paltrow, founder and ceo of goopone of the best books of the year: the wall street journalnot much is harder than figuring out how to love your partner in all their messy humanness—and there’s also not much that’s more important. at a time when toxic individualism is rending our society at every level, bestselling author and renowned marriage counselor terrence real sees how it poisons intimate relationships in his therapy practice, where he works with couples on the brink of disaster. the good news: warmer, closer, more passionate relationships are possible if you have the right tools. in his transformative new book us, real brilliantly observes how our winner-takes-all culture infiltrates families with devastating results: repetitive fights that go nowhere, or a distant relationship in which partners end up living “alone together.” with deft insight, humor, and charm, real guides you to transform your relationship into one that’s based on compassion, collaboration, and closeness. us is a groundbreaking guide to a new science-backed skillset—one that will allow you to get past your knee-jerk reactions and tap into your wiser, more collaborative self. with a novelist’s flair, real shares the stories of couples whose relationships have been saved by these skills and pans out to the culture that reinforces our dysfunction. if you and your partner are backed into separate corners of “you” and “me,” this book will show the way back to “us.”

The ideal companion book to the #1 new york times bestseller ever since relationship rescue became an instant number one new york times hardcover bestseller, phil mcgraws audiences have been asking for a workbook to help them apply his strategies for change to their relationships. phil, oprah's resident expert on human functioning, provides questions, exercises and self-tests that will enable couples in even the most troubled relationships to get their love lives back on track. and for those in solid relationships who would like to regain their spark, he reveals how to make that happen. he shows readers exactly how to pinpoint problems in their relationships, and how to make sure that the changes they enact will truly last. his straightforward, tell-it-like-it-is advice is made crystal clear in this easy-to-use workbook that is sure to prove immensely popular with his devoted national following.

Why is love between men and women so difficult? in this groundbreaking new book, bestselling author terrence real analyzes the crisis in intimate relations, a crisis that has lasted more than a generation, yielding divorce rates of 40 to 50 percent. here real offers a radical new vision of love and the practical tools with which to achieve it. the current crisis is a product of changing gender roles, real explains. in the past thirty years, women's roles have changed radically and men's have not. for the first time, adult women are asking their partners to access the very skills — emotional sensitivity, expressiveness, responsibility — that most men have had psychologically, if not physically, stamped out of them as boys. patriarchal culture does not raise boys to be intimate; it raises them to be competitive performers. at the same time, girls are taught to be compliant and accommodating. the result is that, within relationships, men feel bewildered and unappreciated while women feel unheard and resentful. conventional therapy, which either sidesteps the issue or reinforces "traditional" male roles, has failed. the demand for intimacy in marriage must be met with new skills. real's insights into marriage are a direct outgrowth of his pioneering work on male depression, which culminated in his bestselling i don't want to talk about it. as in that book, real draws on myth, literature, film, and heartrending stories of the men and women he treats to illustrate his compelling analysis. breaking taboos about love, marriage, and passion, real not only reconstructs gender roles but also shows that patriarchy's idealized model of love is impossibly flawed. he teaches partners to replace it with a love that acknowledges imperfections, and he then provides five core relational skills designed to help every couple reach their full potential. is the book that every couple has been waiting for — and our culture needs.

The bestselling guide to transforming an intimate relationship into a lasting source of love and companionship., with a new foreword and chapter from the author in "getting the love you want," dr. harville hendrix presents the relationship skills that have already helped hundreds of thousands of couples to replace confrontation and criticism with a healing process of mutual growth and support. this extraordinary practical guide describes the revolutionary technique of imago relationship therapy, which combines a number of disciplines–including the behavioral sciences, depth psychology, cognitive therapy, and gestalt therapy, among others– to create a program to resolve conflict and renew communication and passion. "getting the love you want" describes the three stages of intimate relationships, provides illustrative case studies and gives helpful recommendations to overcome the obstacles in those stages to create a stronger bond between couples. first, he chronicles the stages of most relationships-attraction, romantic love and the power struggle-and suggests ways for partners to identify the conflicts associated with each of them. then, he explores methods for achieving a "conscious marriage," where the early phases of romance are rekindled and confrontation is slowly replaced by growth and support. finally, dr. hendrix incorporates these ideas into a unique therapeutic course, offering a series of proven exercises that lead to insight, resolution and revitalization. step by step, he describes how to communicate with greater accuracy and sensitivity, how to let go of self-defeating behaviors, and how to focus energy on meeting each partners' needs. with" getting the love you want" couples in any stage of a relationship can resolve their conflicts and achieve mutual emotional satisfaction.

Originally published in 1988, getting the love you want has helped millions of couples attain more loving, supportive, and deeply satisfying relationships. the 20th anniversary edition contains extensive revisions to this groundbreaking book, with a new chapter, new exercises, and a foreword detailing dr. hendrix's updated philosophy for eliminating all negativity from couples' daily interactions, allowing readers of the 2008 edition to benefit from his ongoing discoveries during his last two decades of work. harville hendrix, ph.d., in partnership with his wife, helen lakelly hunt, phd., originated imago relationship therapy, a unique healing process for couples, prospective couples, and parents. together they have more than thirty years' experience as educators and therapists and their work has been translated into more than 50 languages, with imago practiced by two thousand therapists worldwide. harville and helen have six children and live in new york and new mexico.

Having clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. when confronted with their lack of boundaries, they ask: – can i set limits and still be a loving person? – what are legitimate boundaries? – what if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries? – how do i answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? – aren't boundaries selfish? – why do i feel guilty or afraid when i consider setting boundaries? john townsend offer biblically-based answers to these and other tough questions, showing us how to set healthy boundaries with our parents, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and even ourselves.

Build a christ-centered love that lastsat a time when more people are delaying marriage or writing it off altogether, couples ready to walk the aisle will appreciate a frank and trusted resources to help them start marriage on the right foot.this interactive christian guide will help you explore your relationship in depth and willprovide new insight into your partner and how the two of you relate to one anotherestablish your wants and needs as individuals and a couple before your marriage beginslay the groundwork for biblical and honest conversation for a stronger, healthier marriagereveal how life events and family background can influence decision making in finances, family, education, faith and careerengage you in activities that lead to thought-provoking discussion that address your past experiences and current expectationsengaging and easy-to-use, before you say “i do” is full of tried-and-true wisdom to help you plan for your future and build a lasting relationship with the one you love.

The secret language of relationships shows how astrology can craft a relationship profile between any two individuals born during any two weeks of the year. goldschneider divides the year into 48 “weeks,” showing the personality traits for each period. with an amazing 1,176 combinations of personalities, you can better understand any relationship in your life.beautifully illustrated and designed, the secret language series is sure to delight a new generation of astrology enthusiasts and all people who are interested in better understanding themselves and the people around them.

An instant international besteller​ spiritual writer and rising woman founder sheleana aiyana takes you on a transformational inner-work journey to heal lifelong relationship patterns and reclaim power over your life. romantic relationships can infuse our lives with the magic of intimacy and connection. if you find yourself struggling to let go after a relationship ends, or you keep hitting the same wall in dating and relationships with emotionally unavailable people, this is not a sign that you are broken. it is a sign that somewhere along the way, you learned to sacrifice yourself in order to be loved. in becoming the one, spiritual leader and visionary founder of the rising woman community sheleana aiyana offers a roadmap for transforming your relationship patterns to end the cycle of self-abandonment and move into the light of self-discovery. the desire for love is wired into the very fibers of our being, but before you can create rewarding bonds with others, first you must stand wholeheartedly in self-acceptance. becoming the one is an invitation to find your way home to yourself. expert advice: based on wisdom gleaned from the traumas of her past and years of guiding thousands of women around the world in her internationally acclaimed "becoming the one" program of spiritual and therapeutic healing practices, sheleana aiyana's revolutionary lessons teach you to embody the qualities you are seeking in others so that you can become "the one" for yourself. essential lessons: learn to connect with your inner child, challenge your core beliefs about love, set self-affirming boundaries, discover and celebrate your true desires, recognize red and green flags, and build a secure, loving relationship with yourself. by learning how to trust your body and make peace with your past, you'll clear the path for healthy, conscious love–one that returns the authority to you to choose how to live and whom to love. rave reviews: "this is a spectacular guide to the inner world and relationships; it dispels myths, grounds you in transformative truth, and reconnects you to your power."–yung pueblo, new york times bestselling author of clarity connection "this masterpiece will take you from pain to freedom. reading becoming the one will help you understand the process and power of healing."–nedra glover tawwab, new york times bestselling author of set boundaries, find peace perfect for: anyone navigating a recent breakup or feeling fed up with dating fans of self-help and self-improvement books adding to the shelf alongside women who run with the wolves, attached, glennon doyle's untamed, or books by esther perel

In this updated edition of their bestselling book, relationships, drs. les and leslie parrott dig below the surface to the depths of human interactions, offering expert advice and practical tools for improving the most important aspect of human life: relationships. designed for college students, young adults, singles, and dating couples, this cutting-edge book teaches the basics of healthy relationships, including friendship, dating, sexuality, and relating to god. newly updated and expanded to include the latest research on relationship building and vital information on social networking, it provides readers with proven tools for making bad relationships better and good relationships great. real relationships is filled with thought-provoking questions and links to its separate workbook. the workbook—integral to getting the most out of real relationships—contains dozens of self-tests and assessments that will help readers determine their relational readiness, the health of the home they grew up in, their understanding of gender differences, and much more. real relationships and the real relationships workbook furnish an honest and timely guide to forming the rich relationships that are life's greatest treasure.

In this updated edition of their bestselling book, relationships, drs. les and leslie parrott dig below the surface to the depths of human interactions, offering expert advice and practical tools for improving the most important aspect of human life: relationships. designed for college students, young adults, singles, and dating couples, this cutting-edge book teaches the basics of healthy relationships, including friendship, dating, sexuality, and relating to god. newly updated and expanded to include the latest research on relationship building and vital information on social networking, it provides readers with proven tools for making bad relationships better and good relationships great. real relationships is filled with thought-provoking questions and links to its separate workbook. the workbook—integral to getting the most out of real relationships—contains dozens of self-tests and assessments that will help readers determine their relational readiness, the health of the home they grew up in, their understanding of gender differences, and much more. real relationships and the real relationships workbook furnish an honest and timely guide to forming the rich relationships that are life's greatest treasure.

“over a decade after its publication, one book on dating has people firmly in its grip.”—the new york timeswe already rely on science to tell us what to eat, when to exercise, and how long to sleep. in this revolutionary book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist dr. pioneered by psychologist john bowlby in the 1950s, the field of attachment posits that each of us behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways: – anxious people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner's ability to love them back – avoidant people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness. – secure people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving. attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mate) follow, offering a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections with the people they love.

The bestselling gold medallion winner love for a lifetime has brought hope, harmony, and healing to millions of homes worldwide, giving men and women powerful and biblical insights for building lasting marital harmony. encouraging and practical, this proven classic is perfect for every husband and wife who want to strengthen and celebrate their marriage relationship. the joining of husband and wife in marriage is the most fulfilling human relationship possible. there is nothing like being loved unconditionally and intimately, decade after decade, by someone who promises to be there for better or for worse for the remaining days of your lives. for this reason, nurturing and celebrating each other is the most important investment of time and energy you can make as a couple. and millions around the world can testify, the surest way to preserving a marriage is by applying the principles outlined in god's word. with bible-based insights shared by today's foremost family advocate, love for a lifetime is a modern classic. this newly updated edition delivers the wisdom that will bring success to your marriage… for as long as you both shall live. story behind the book for every ten marriages in america today, five will end in bitter conflict and divorce. and only one or two couples in ten will achieve what might be called "intimacy" in their marriages. this book helps keep readers from being passive victims in the unfolding drama of their lives together. they can build a stable, satisfying, intimate relationship that will withstand the storms of life. all they need is a little wise counsel…and a burning desire to succeed. based on information from a panel of successfully married couples, on the research of respected experts in the field, and on the principles endorsed by the creator of families himself, love for a lifetime is designed to help couples do just that.

The bestselling gold medallion winner love for a lifetime has brought hope, harmony, and healing to millions of homes worldwide, giving men and women powerful and biblical insights for building lasting marital harmony. encouraging and practical, this proven classic is perfect for every husband and wife who want to strengthen and celebrate their marriage relationship. the joining of husband and wife in marriage is the most fulfilling human relationship possible. there is nothing like being loved unconditionally and intimately, decade after decade, by someone who promises to be there for better or for worse for the remaining days of your lives. for this reason, nurturing and celebrating each other is the most important investment of time and energy you can make as a couple. and millions around the world can testify, the surest way to preserving a marriage is by applying the principles outlined in god's word. with bible-based insights shared by today's foremost family advocate, love for a lifetime is a modern classic. this newly updated edition delivers the wisdom that will bring success to your marriage… for as long as you both shall live. story behind the book for every ten marriages in america today, five will end in bitter conflict and divorce. and only one or two couples in ten will achieve what might be called "intimacy" in their marriages. this book helps keep readers from being passive victims in the unfolding drama of their lives together. they can build a stable, satisfying, intimate relationship that will withstand the storms of life. all they need is a little wise counsel…and a burning desire to succeed. based on information from a panel of successfully married couples, on the research of respected experts in the field, and on the principles endorsed by the creator of families himself, love for a lifetime is designed to help couples do just that.