Beyond the Chase

Book excerpt: Maximize your capacity for a deep, lasting relationship with this guide designed to help you grow as a loving partner. Maximize your capacity for a deep, lasting relationship with this guide designed to help you grow as a loving partner. For centuries, stories of romance in literature, in movies, and on television have equated true love with "happily ever after," perpetuating the myth that once you meet the love of your life, the rest is easy. In reality, it is when this initial attraction dissipates that the real work begins; building and maintaining true intimacy can be one of life's great challenges--and rewards. In Beyond the Chase: Breaking Your Obsessions That Sabotage True Intimacy, renowned therapist and national media commentator Carla Wills-Brandon teaches readers--whether they are in search of a mate, caught up in the passion of a burgeoning romance, or well along a committed path--how to weather a variety of storms by working through the obsessive tendencies that prevent them from achieving the close relationship that they desire. Readers learn todistinguish between lust and loverecognize addictive behaviors that cause isolationcommunicate effectivelyestablish healthy boundariesrespect their partner sexuallyfight fairlyidentify symptoms of intimacy difficultiesunderstand how past pain impacts relationships