Creating Real Relationships: Overcoming the Power of Difference and Shame

Can two people develop a relationship that will support, encourage, and nurture their real self? Can the hope of being understood, known, and truly accepted become a reality? Can a real relationship heal the wounds and emotional deficits received in early life? The search for meaning is the journey of expressing one's real self. Pfeiffer describes how two partners can seek to develop a relationship in which both find support for the expression of their real self. Partners who make a real relationship work have certain skills. They know and practice core interpersonal skills, which allows them to form a relationship that can endure, deepen, and grow.

If you are or hope to be in an intimate relationship you will want to give this book to yourself and your partner. Creating Real Relationships is an inspiring guide that offers encouragement for those seeking more meaning and healthy closeness in their relationship. A real relationship provides its partners with the opportunity for personal growth, development of the real self, and emotional and spiritual healing. The author weaves professional knowledge with personal experience to show the reader how to overcome the power of difference and shame, which may threaten the level of relationship satisfaction. This essential book offers clear explanations, practical skills, insightful background, and a map for the healing journey possible in real relationships.

One of the unique features of this work is its focus on the dynamics of difference and shame underlying what goes wrong-or what can go very right-with relationships. The dynamics of difference and shame have the power to set up the development of a false self. The false self defensively refuses to assert the real self. Overcoming the power of these dynamics is the source of transforming unhealthy wounded relationships and individuals into healthy ones. Creating Real Relationships speaks directly to improvement in the following areas:

* Assertiveness Skills * Overcoming Your Anger * Overcoming Your Partner's Anger * Overcoming Difference and Shame * Overcoming Your Anxiety * Conflict Resolution Skills * Direct Communication Skills * Listening Skills