Sex Relationships Books

I have struggled my entire marriage with disabling feelings of shame, guilt regarding sex. In counseling I was able to use this book to pin-point the specific things that were bothering me, and with specific information I was able to approach my husband in a way that he was able to understand that he wasn't to blame and to change his methods to be supportive to my healing. We're both committed to life-long marriage, but this book may have saved our relationship.

Men who are loooking to give their spouces fullfilment in all aspects need to read this. It has helped us in our mariage.

My wife and I have used this book in working with the Penners and were able to transform our sex life from having problems to a fun filled and exciting time that has brought us much closer
together in our total marriage

This book is very thorough and offers great step by step guides to enhancing sexual intimacy among married couples with many biblical references. Great book and unbelievable resource. Still a work in progress.

This is a fun, easy to read book packed full of practical instruction on how to use your hands and touch to pleasure a body.

From the more commonly known erogenous zones, to body parts that we don't normally think of as erotic... the whole body is covered. From the nose, ears, arms, A-spot, C-spot, G-spot or U-spot... no part of the body is excluded from sensuality here.

The techniques are specific, detailed, easy to understand, and many even have catchy names such as "testicle teaser", "tug the rug" and "bowing the violin" to mention a few. Helpful drawings illustrate anatomy, and hand and/or finger positioning for some of the more unusual touches.

The last chapter "Putting it all together" provides ideas for hours of pleasurable partner practice.

The authors have put together an incredibly useful and informative book on the use of the hands to create and intensify sexual feelings. I judge a book on sex instruction on whether it teaches me things and gives me ideas that I would not have thought of on my own...and this book passes with flying colors. From hand and finger flexability...to massage...to intensifying the feelings of other techniques, the ideas are presented in a fun and enjoyable way that leaves you with a smile on your face (among other things)! :)

This book pulls out all the stops, and tells it like it is. Unlike most "how-to" books, this one does NOT read like stereo instructions, and yet manages to be very thorough and clear in its instruction. I love that it has sections on both male and female genital massage, as well as anal massage techniques. Oh, and did I mention the fabulous sexual position instruction? There are even exercises that teach you how to develop more sensitivity in your hands, so that your touch becomes more pleasurable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants learn to explore deeper ecstasy in the bedroom!

This is a wonderful and sexy book that would be a great gift for your partner, especially if your guy is a little clueless like mine.

Here's why I love it:
1. I like the cute, straightforward and playful language/approach to sex. For example, "hedonistic humping" or "...try letting your hands drift over to her Grand Tetons...".
2. I love the diagrams, not only because I am visual, (diagrams make it abudantly clear how to execute some of these moves), it's really the best compromise of clarity and class. They're hand drawn (so even though they're depicting sex acts, they look tasteful and classy, like a WSJ portrait (LOL). I think color photographs would have been a little too much for me.
3. I like that it covers what I had considered basics (like how to uncloak the clit) to more advanced concepts and finally even things I consider avante garde (such as fisting and anal entry).
4. The best part about this book is everything is included. LOL. (Don't you hate getting something that needs batteries but they're not included?!). While you're reading about these techniques, you get so excited to try them. And because all you need are your hands and the rest of your body, you can start right away.
5. Finally, I really like that there are tips for how to pleasure both guys and gals.
6. The diagrams are pretty circumized-penis centric, but it was very comprehensive of them to also include a diagram of a non-circumized penis as well as instructions on the different kinds of pleasures you can give to one. As for females, I really liked that they had pubic hair (instead of a brazilian wax, which I find unrealistic/demeaning/painful/infantile).

My one itty bitty change about the book: I would have preferred a non-erotic, even mis-leading intellectual cover (like Sarte, maybe? LOL) so I can keep the book in plain view any time anywhere.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for better sex and orgasms!!! It's chock full of ideas and you can try a different one for every night for a year (or longer).

I like the frank and practical approach of this book that speaks to men and women, and approaches sex in a mature way. It's not "cheesy" or as obvious as some of the other guides might be, and has provided my partner and I with great ideas for each other that surprise, entice, exhillarate, and take our relationship to another level. I recommend it to have around - good for a quick read to start with, and then to keep around - as something of a reference too. It's quality material.

This book was recommended to me by another woman, who told me it was much easier to digest than "The Rules," etc. It is also a rather quick read and easy to digest. However, some of the suggestions are so far out there that there is no way in hell I could possibly follow them.

As I said, there are many good tidbits in this book, especially the parts on being honest and sharing your feelings (emotions just are; they are neither right or wrong). But certain other suggestions, such as the good old getting your man home at noon for sex, are simply unrealistic and will not work with every guy. This book seems to almost suggest that all men react the same/value the same type of stimuli. I can attest to the fact that this is NOT the case. It also seems to rely on the fact that most men are primarily sexual creatures and will therefore respond to sexual advances much faster than to anything else. Again, this is not necessarily true.

I also had a bit of a hard time with, what I perceived, the overall concept of the book, which is the good old "make the man the king." I found the idea to consistently going out of my way to make him happy, while he "waits to be served" very hard to digest. But then again, maybe I just misunderstood it.

The important part is that there truly are some pieces of information in the book that can be used and should be used to communicate how one feels about another. For myself though, I simply do not like the idea of playing games, or pretending to be someone I am not. Sure, there are times in a relationship where one should try new things and be open. However, the suggestion to go against one's grain to do things for him that are embarrassing, humiliating, or plainly highly uncomfortable, is not my idea of achieving a happy relationship, nor do I see how it would serve the guy if his woman is all tense and uptight.

I purchased this book and the Light His Fire book (which my husband wouldn't read) to strengthen my marriage. It seems at times that the author is obsessed with sex because thats all the books pertain to, is strengthening that aspect of a marriage. My marital problems are spouse immaturity, running away, and screaming at each other. I don't think that this book covered those things at all and it was just a waste of my 8 bucks.

While this book is informative, it refreshes the natural instinct that we need to pay attention to in a relationship. The copy I received was yellowed and worn.

I heard about the CD's which appeared on Oprah's List of Good Things for some year in the past. I now see that the CD's are also a book. If the book is a good as the CD's, which it must be, I think the author's ideas and methods about making your relationship with your significant other work well are WONDERFUL!

There is a CD series and book, LIGHT HER FIRE and a CD series and book LITE HIS FIRE. You need both! She is GOOD! And, either the book or the CD's are a bargain---just think how much a marriage counsellor or, worse yet, a divorce costs!

I recommend this book and the CD's VERY MUCH! boland7214@aol

I recently bought this and its companion, "Light His Fire : How to Keep Your Man Passionately and Hopelessly in Love With you".

The advice in this one made, me feel pretty good- brilliant in fact. I had thought of most of the ideas, but they never really worked for my husband. He doesn't seem that impressed by having cookies sent to him at work. It is something a woman would like to have done for her, but the problem is men and women aren't the same. That is why we would buy a book like this- right?

The advice in its companion made for men who want to please their women has started a few conversations. My husband has enjoyed heckling it, and that has caused a few hurt feelings. It is just close enough to the truth in many ways that I feel heckled too, but not close enough to the truth to help. This reminds me of one of those articles written with the help of gay men to help women understand the men they love. It seems like a good idea, but it doesn't work.

In conclusion- If you are a man who wants to get even more confused by women, buy "How to Keep Your Man Passionately and Hopelessly in Love With You". If you are a woman with no creativity, buy, "Light His Fire: How to Keep Your Man Passionately and Hopelessly in Love With you". Otherwise, try something else. If you find something that really works, please let me know!

What a terrific book for women, especially those who have difficulty or are not able to orgasm! Even those who have no troubles in this area would benefit from the steps suggested in this book. It's not only for women, but for their partners as well. Emphasizing intimacy with yourself, and helping women achieve their sexual goals is what this book is all about. Pair this volume with Five Minutes to Orgasm Every Time You Make Love: Female Orgasm Made Simple, which is also a simple, step-by-step guide, and you will be having climaxes all over the place. This book emphasizes being able to climax during intercourse. Most women are able to reach climax by oral sex, but run into problems during intercourse. Buy both these books, and keep them as a permanent part of your sexual library.

In this book is proof that almost every woman is in the same predicament. It is entertaining to read as well.

I had never had an orgasm during sex. I thought I was one of the unlucky percentage. But I only read a few chapters before that changed. Now it's whenever I'm on top. I guess if I finish the book, it will be whenever, whatever! Good book. No, GREAT book!

This book was just what I was looking for. I didn't want some preachy book about how women have been opressed for so long. I didn't want someone to talk to me in a condescending way, or make assumptions about me or my partners. I wanted something concrete-a program or steps that I could follow. And this is exactly what I found! The author offers a step-by-step program, which guides you to orgasm by taking "baby steps" to get there. The program has helped my relationship immensly, and I know it will be a very rewarding journey all the way through to the last steps!

This is a well written book. It is, however, for a specific audience. The overall theme of the book is ways to relax and get in touch with your body. There are ways to do that, that one might not have thought. It is very basic. I'd already done 99.5 % of the stuff in there, and it wasn't working, so although the book is good, it did not work for me. This book is based on very traditional sex, very traditional sex roles, and more towards the romantic, and "making love" instead of purely physical f***ing. This book would be good for women who see alot of sex topics as taboo, and are not comfortable with their bodies, or expressing what they want out of sex.

Even if you have no real interest in women in the Bible this book is beneficial. Weems aptly explains the use of metaphor in scripture with regard to textual interpretation. If I have a small criticism it is that she over-explains just a little bit, but her writing here is applicable to many scriptural texts as a basis for understanding context. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in better understanding the Bible as a whole.

If you are particularly interested in women in the Bible you will find this book fascinating. If you enjoy studying prophecy you will find this book insightful. It's an easy read - it won't take much of your time to read it, and the benefit is well worth it.

Overall, I found this book was rather interesting. The writing was solid and easy to understand.
However, the author made the assumption that the reader would agree with the basic premise that the biblical world was an inherently sexist society, in which women had no status. While I would agree with that, since she did not examine or support her presumtions, it made her conclusions harder to accept because she did not lay a good foundation. She does seem to presume that the reader would have more difficulty with the role of metaphor in the Bible.
In essence my low rating comes from the viewpoint, that I wanted more content in the structures of sexism within ancient Israel rather than an explanation of metaphor in the Bible. I should say I was torn between giving this book three or four stars. If there was a button for three and a half, that is probably what I would have given it.

Battered Love is about how the Hebrew Bible prophets portrayed the relationship between Israel and God. Many times the metaphor of God as husband and Israel as wife was used.

Weems points out in a fascinating study, that God was often portrayed as setting up all the rules and that strict obediance of the rules was necessary for people of Israel, the subordinate partner in the divine/human relationship. If the Israelites disobeyed the rules, then God was permitted to beat up Israel. If Israel later returned to God, then God would love Israel again.

Renita Weems explains how a metaphor works and how metaphors are used by people. Furthermore she explains quite lucidly that for many people the human husband represented God, and the wife represented the subordinate partner. Therefore, husbands throughout the centuries have believed that they have permission to beat up their disobedient wives. Renita Weems especially looks at the prophets Ezekiel, Hosea, and Jeremiah to prove her case.

Words do hurt!

Prof. Weems has contributed a helpful critique of the social implications inherent in the Prophets' choice of metaphors. This book will alter - for the better - the way you view the Hebrew Prophets, God, and yourself.

I found this product to be alot of fun, but a few of the pages were a bit uneventful and didnt really have much of an interactive experience like other pop-ups. The pages that were the most impressive had FUN interactive aspects to them and whimsical humor. AND understand that you only get about nine pages, but half are so uninteresting that it seems more like five. Overall- it is still an interesting and fun gift- I ordered one for a gift and one for my collection.

I thought it was great, I gave this to my boyfriend as a gift. He had to show it to his male roommates as well as his frat boy friends. They all love it and called it the "Adult Christmas pop up book." Our love life hasn't really gotten any better, but he did learn some new things that were pretty good. Id suggest giving this to a guy, I ended up giving it to a whole fraternity and they Love it!

I got this book awhile back and I love it. This is definitely adult content but in good taste. Alot of fun to read/look through with your partner or loads of laughs with a group of friends. The illustrations are fabulous. I couldn't stop laughing. It's a keeper.

Well constructed amaxzingly life-like and sexy pop-up book hilariously illustrated and attuned to those who enjoy a refreshingly humorous but realistic view of sexual positions. A perfect gift for the "he" or "she".

Give this book as a gift and watch what "pops" up! Great naughty fun!

I am a recovering Hollywood addict. For so long I searched for a book that could spell out to me why I pursued the "Brady Bunch" ideal for my life. This book does a great job of reeling me in and holding my attention. A great man (who has a great name by the way) recommended this book to me. He saw where my angst was coming from even though I was clueless, lol. We are so duped by the message of television and pop stars! The romance they teach our children is pure fiction and only leads to lonliness and discontent. This book reminds us that God can write a much better love story than we could ever do for ourselves. I am all for doing my part in the "REVOLUTION"!

I gave it a shot...I really did...and once again I was disappointed...Perhaps it works for some and the book was intended for those people, but for those of us who don't have the energy to keep breaking our hearts over and over again by "hoping" it just won't work.

This book has changed my perspective on relationships, with potential mates and with God. I believe anyone could read this and see themselves, and know where they may have made mistakes in the past with relationships, and gain new hope. This is a must read for anyone seeking answers about God's way to approach love and relationships.

This is very easy to read and makes it very simple to understand how to have "Love, Sex, & Lasting Relationships" the way that God intended.

It takes patience and discipline (so if you don't have those qualities maybe you shouldn't be in a relationship to start with)...but it truly works....

This book helped me understand why I lost my last girlfriend, and I wish someone had given it to me when I was a teenager. That would have made my life a lot easier! I now understand a lot of things that was a mystery to me just a few weeks ago. It is well written and some parts are quite funny. I didn't have to use my dictionary once - even though English is not my native language. The book is not based on science, but the author's analysis fits my own experiences very well. One important topic is missing in this book, and that is female perspective on dating/seduction, but I guess there are other books about that. I would recommend this book.

From the book:
"Women are always interested in making things [relationship] better". (better for HER!)

"When a woman suggests a way to change or improve things in your relationship, she's not complaining or criticizing you - she's expressing her commitment to make the relationship the best it can be."

"Wanting to make things better is not the same as never being satisfied with anything. If you ask your employee to redo a report, it doesn't mean you are never satisfied with anyone's work, does it?"

Men have a natural fear and resistance to "control". The reaction is either "fight" or "flight". Men have an honour code not to fight women, so what is left is "flight", so the man will leave the room, leave the house, or leave the relationship. This triggers in the woman a natural fear and resistance to "abandonment". The reaction is usually more "control" in order to "make the relationship better". In the process of a woman "making the relationship better" she is stomping all over her man, making his life WORSE - and consequently makes the RELATIONSHIP worse, not better.

Statements like these are troubling to me because they exaggerate the point to such an extent that of course we would have to agree with the author. Her use of "NEVER being satisfied with ANYTHING" or "NEVER satisfied with ANYONE'S work". It's disingenuous and a deliberate attempt to let women off the hook by using NEVER, ANYTHING, ANYONE'S, etc. For a relationship author to use these words is just plain silly. Never say NEVER. If you ask your employee to redo a report, and then when he does, ask him to redo his cubicle, and then he does, and then ask him to redo his drawers, and then he does, and then ask him to redo his computer, and then he does, and then ask him to redo his report again because it wasn't perfect, and then he does and then ask him to redo his cubicle because it wasn't facing the right way, and then he does, and then ask him to redo his... bla bla bla... then is that considered controlling? Ok, well... that's what wives do. They are never satisfied with a redo, or a re-redo, or a re-re-redo etc.... it goes on for ever.

If you read the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were given paradise in the Garden of Eden. They had everything. It's interesting that the serpent chose Eve to deceive, not Adam. Eve had paradise, but she wanted MORE. It was her insatiability that put her over the edge. After eating, she found that it was "good" so she tried to improve her husband by offering it to him. Ultimately Adam was condemned because he "listened to his wife and ate". Interesting... part of what God faulted Adam for was "listening to his wife". The point of the story is: Eve had paradise, but she was not satisfied, and Adam heeded her suggestion for making them happier, even when it went against God's law.

Word to the wives: Be careful that you don't become an Eve.
Word to the husbands: Be careful of your wife's suggestions/corrections/guidance if it isn't of God.

For a balanced and even approach to this topic I would recommend.

I'm a young male, i ordered this book the other day and its a amazing book, the layout is great, it also unlike many books has made me laugh. Great book for a men who's in a relationship, helps understand your partner better, but as a guy you really need to drop the male ego before picking up the book, to have a proper understanding of where the issues are coming from.

Ever wanted to understand women and their behavior? Then here you have it! THIS IS THE MANUAL MEN HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR FOR 10 MILLION YEARS! And yes, this is another "battle of our needs" book. And a lot of people find these books disturbing, and maybe a little stereotypical. But this is the 21st century, and we are finally beginning to understand this simple truth: Men and women are different and we have different needs. What a revelation! lol

And lets face it...books like these are NEVER going to solve all our problems because we are talking about love and lust. And the logic of the human heart is questionable, for both sexes (that's what our brain is for). And if you consider how complex our world has become, the blurred roles of men and women, the high divorce rate, and our children's needs, then our relationships need SERIOUS help! And I believe books like these are a great start. And Barbara De Angelis has done a great job here. She has certainly done her homework.

And for the guys out there who aren't "man" enough read this book: This isn't a book about giving up your needs. Nor is it about women whining for more. This is a book of understanding, and the author is quite clear about that fact. And here's a news flash: complain all you want...women are never going to change!

And for the girls out there who giggle when they hear the words, "a man's needs." (and I've met a lot of 'em): There are many good books out there for you, as well, like "Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know", by the same author, as an example. So please read them. And here's another news flash: complain all you want...men are never going to change!

If a woman in my life is going to dangle sex in front of me to get what she wants, she can go stand on the street corner to get other guys to get what she wants.

Why do women think men should "communicate" like them all the time! Why can't women learn to communicate like men! In general, men don't talk as much, but if women would take the time to stop talking and just listen, maybe they'd "comminicate" better with their men.

I'm glad I didn't waste my money on this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs help communicating with, or is filled with resentment toward, their spouse. I would also get a highlighter out and start using it at the begining! I laughed over and over again while reading this book because it was truly as if the author was speaking directly to my husband and I! I never thought it would be THAT good, but it was! Things are so much better now, but it takes practice so this book remains on our shelf for later reference!

First time reading any of Dr. Grey's Venus and Mars books. This was excellent. Both my husband and I gained a tremendous amount of insight as to mind of the opposite sex and how we relate to different situations. I highly recommend it, especially if you are having trouble understanding how your partner does what she/he does.

Anyone even thinking about love and marriage must read this book! It will prepare them for what is ahead in their lives; not just blue sky, lovey dovey stuff!

I've read several of the M/V books and this one isn't all new info, but it did help me to understand some basic differences in men and women. I wouldn't put it at the top of the list of must-reads, but I think overall, it's worth your time.

Rarely does a book do such a good job informing the reader in a way that can change lives. John Gray helps the reader understand there are inevitable differences between men and women and the key to success in relationships is to understand and navigate those differences rather than to try and change or ignore them. I also highly recommend Men in Marriage: Straight Talk For Men About Marriage: What Men Need to Know About Marriage (And What Women Need to Know About Men)by Marty Friedman.

The joy of this book is that it not only has great information but is also highly entertaining and very well written.

I currently work in the psychology field with men and sometimes couples. I consider Jungian psychology an area of strong interest and I have read many books in this genre. Many of them are listed among my other reviews or listmania lists.

This specific author has a unique gift for presenting Jungian ideas and making them applicable to real life. He does not say too much... and he also doesn't cheat the reader on depth. In addition, he has a gift for explaining sometimes difficult concepts in very simple language. For me, this was a two sitting book and I couldn't put it down.

With respect to content, many reviewers have covered Jung's notion of the inner feminine in a male and inner masculine in a female. What the other does with this notion is demonstrate how these contrasexual images get projected or acted out in relationship. This is unconscious, but being aware of what's happening, why it's happening and how it all ties together is curative.

If you look at relationship through the lens of this book, you will understand how in any relationship their is really an anima to animus, an ego to animus, an ego to anima and an ego to ego dynamic. Being aware of these additional layers helps one avoid many pitfalls.

For example, many men have a mother-complex that they are trying to overcome. This theme occurs in many myths and fairy tales in the form of slaying the dragon. The whole notion here is that to have the maiden (embrace the anima/interior feminine) one must first differentiate from the mother complex (dragon). In short, a male must embrace his feminine side and make it conscious before he can relate to a woman as a human being rather than as a carrier of a projection. A similar dynamic occurs in females and that is what this book is all about.

I unreservedly recommend this book to laymen, psychologists and therapists. It is very complimentary to the other self-help literature and extremely practical. I also recommend A General Theory of Love and Jung's Map of the Soul: An Introduction. The latter of these two books is the Cliff's Notes of Jung's concepts explained simply from an extremely credible source. If you get Intimate Partners, I urge you to pick this book up as well. It will serve to deepen your relationship inquiry and make Intimate Partners more meaningful.

This book was a really interesting and thought provoking first contact with the Jungian concepts of projection, anima and animus and the roles (positive and negative) they play in intimate, heterosexual relationships.

It was a really wonderful read with lots of good and easy explanations (theoretical and practical) of the concepts and it's manifestations. And a wonderful outline of a positive and workable approach to dealing with projections and what their purpose is (in a nutshell, first to break through the barrier that exists between to people and secondly and more often than not just a way of your unconscious to tell you what you have to work on with yourself {if you have strong bigger-than-life-women projections --> get in touch with your inner female/emotions. If you have bigger-than-life-men projections --> get in touch with your inner man/creativity/strive; if you have are heavily attracted to artistic partners it might be that your own artistic potential needs to be worked out).

On the more negative side:
It seemed to treat the male/anima side of the whole equation a lot more indepth than the female/animus part. And there is hardly anything about people who don't match their own gender archetype much or to be more concrete match their opposite gender archetype more than their own. Which might be a result of it being a bit dated by now and it's shortness of only 120 pages.

I as well enjoyed the treatment of at the time rather current discussions about if men and women both have anima and animus. Or if their occurence is gendered.

All in all an excellent introduction though!

This book primarily addresses the Jungian concept of the contra-sexual in which men have a feminine archetype (called the anima) in their psyches, and women have a corresponding masculine archetype (called the animus) in their psyches. These unconscious forces have profound effects upon our lives, especially upon our relationships with persons of the opposite sex. This short book, while written some time ago, is still applicable today. It covers a lot of ground in a short space so it can be a bit difficult or even dense in places, especially if the reader is not intimate with Jungian psychology. Nevertheless, the concepts (or model, if you will) are valuable and useful in everyday life-not just with romantic relationships, but also with interpersonal communications and understanding.

In order to get the most out of this book, it is necessary to keep an open mind. This can be challenging; as stated on page 9: "Even the most elemental knowledge of oneself is something that most people resist with the greatest determination. Usually it is only when we are in a state of great pain or confusion, and only self-knowledge offers a way out, that we are willing to risk our cherished ideas of what we are like in a confrontation with the truth, and even then many people prefer to live a meaningless life rather than to go through the often disagreeable process of coming to know themselves."

Thus, recognition of animus/anima interplay can result in "being in love" which we resist analyzing and bringing into the everyday world. From pages 18-19: "Relationship founded exclusively on the being-in-love state can never last...being in love is a matter for the gods, not for human beings...it can endure only in a fantasy world where the relationship is not tested in the everyday stress of real life...To the extent that a relationship is founded on projection, the element of human love is lacking. To be in love with someone we do not know as a person, but are attracted to because they reflect back to us the image of the god or goddess in our soul, is in a sense, to be in love with oneself not with the other person...Real love begins only when one person comes to know another for who he or she really is as a human being, and begins to like and care for that human being."

Projection is not, however, a totally negative process because per page 20: "Each time projection occurs there is another opportunity for us to know our inner Invisible Partners, and that is a way of knowing our own souls." Thus, for example, on pages 53-4: "In learning to relate to a woman, a man also has to come to terms with the little boy in himself...We have no free choice unless we are psychologically conscious persons," and on page 55: "Of the choices every man and woman makes of his or her partner in life; in some way the partner represents something we need to understand about ourselves."

But it's not a bowl of roses either because per page. 83: "Projections can never be withdrawn completely, for they are out of our conscious control; nor can we ever become so conscious of the inner images of the anima and animus that projections do not occur. Withdrawing projections does not mean that they no longer occur, but that we understand them as images within ourselves when they do." But, (page 124) "We get well in direct proportion to the energy we put into our psychological development."

For additional reading on unconscious forces, see: George Weinberg "Invisible Masters: Compulsions and the Fear that Drives Them" Plume NY 1993 and Loren E. Pederson Dark Hearts-The Unconscious Forces that Shape Men's Lives Shambhala, Boston 1991

As one reviewer mentioned, this book is short. It is dense in places, and required a second read of parts of chapter 2.

It's interesting how important turning points in life can be traced back to seemingly inconsequential encounters. I dated a girl just once, and we never saw each other again. While we were discussing self-help books that had been important to us, she mentioned The Invisible Partners. Later I ordered the book from Amazon and it proved to be revolutionary. Finally, I have answers. I understand why/how I'd experienced certain disorienting emotional phenomena since I was a young man. And now I have ways to "right myself". The answers and tools didn't come directly from the text, but indirectly from doing the work suggested in the appendix. (I think the appendix is worth the price of the book.)

If you're open to Jungian thought and have found therapy helpful but maybe unable to answer some key questions, do yourself a favor and read The Invisible Partners. You may not find it revolutionary, but I can't imagine you won't find it helpful.