Couples

A groundbreaking exploration of our relationships, and how understanding them can transform the way we see ourselves and the world, from clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr Orna Guralnik, of the acclaimed series Couples Therapy

Falling in love changes everything. It opens us up — to hope, inspiration and the possibility of caring deeply for another. But folded into this miracle is an unavoidable reality, and sooner or later the central crisis of every relationship emerges: your partner is not you.

What are the forces that bring people together and then pull them apart? What does it take to choose love? In Couples, Dr Orna Guralnik draws on decades as a psychologist, academic and couples therapist to uncover the underlying roots of tensions over sex, money, parenting and the division of labour, and to reveal a process, grounded in psychoanalytic listening, that allows us to break free from the repetitive patterns that trap us in conflict.

Moving from a furious state of blame to a place of empathy requires venturing into the unconscious — our childhoods, traumas and the ways in which we are held hostage by culture and ideology. Following this path, we stand to gain not only a deeper bond with our partner but also the capacity to see the world through the eyes of another, allowing us to join the forces that mend this troubled world.

Riveting and revolutionary, Couples shows that the conflict and redemption inherent in relationships can be among the most valuable opportunities of our lives.