Recommended Reading

Books and Journal Articles

Schnarch, David (1997). Passionate Marriage (or Passionate Couples): Keeping Love & Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships, Henry Holt and Co.
Much of what informs the work I do and the theory behind it is contained in this book. I credit and thank David for the truly revolutionary work on the systems of love and sex. The ideas behind making a radical shift in how you think about what will improve your relationship are outlined here. Dr. Schnarch has worked with LGB couples and Passionate Couples attempts to remove the heterosexual bias in language.
Schnarch, D (2002). Resurrecting Sex: Resolving Sexual Problems and Rejuvenating Your Relationship, HarperCollins Publisher.
Similar to Passionate Marriage, this book offers a radical departure from "Cosmo" type sex suggestions, and applies the ideas of differentiation and passion more specifically to your sexual relationship.
Lewis, T., Amini, F., Lannon, R (2000). A General Theory of Love, Vintage Books.
Three psychiatrists, dissatisfied with the standard accounts of the mind, offer a theory on the "psychobiology of love" trying to explain common experiences such as why, despite conscious attempts to avoid this, we often seem to choose people who end up being just like our mother or our father.
Losowick, L. (1995). The Alchemy of Love and Sex, Hohm Press.
Have you ever wondered about tantric sex and the spirituality with which it is associated? Losowick writes: "The Divine is not discovered by becoming more and more 'far out'. The Divine is discovered by becoming optimally normal". Here is a good read on the topic.
Barash, D. & Lipton, J. (1997). Making Sense of Sex: How Genes and Gender Influence our Relationships, Island Press.
People are fond of saying that monogamy is "unnatural". This animal behavior psychologist and psychiatrist take on the notion and explain when and why monogamy occurs in the animal kingdom.
Root, M.P.P. (1992). Racially Mixed People in America, Sage Publications.
This groundbreaking book offers explanations, insights, and historical accounts for the complexity of racial tensions and realities in the U.S. today. This author was influential in the alterations made in the 2000 census, and is a pioneer in multiracial identity issues.
Root, M.P.P. (1996). The Multicultural Experience, Sage Publications.
Dr. Maria Root's follow up book to her groundbreaking 1992 publication further explores the strengths, challenges, and realities facing individuals, couples, and families who are mixed racially & ethnically. This is a more complex treatment of the subject.
Root, M.P.P. (2001). Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage, Temple University Press.
The occurrence of interracial marriage in the United States is increasing steadily. This book is an excellent resource that explores the strengths, political implications, history and experiences of interracial marriage in the U.S.
Gottman, J. (1994). Why Marriages Succeed or Fail, Simon and Schuster.
This is a landmark book based on impressive research by the well renown Seattle psychologist, researcher, and university professor. It explains in simple language some powerful patterns in marriage and their implication.
Cozolino, L. (2002). The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy. W.W. Norton: New York: N.Y.
Cozolino presents a compelling, very readable exploration and explication of psychotherapy and brain functions. Proposing a reconciliation between neuroscience and psychotherapy, he shows that despite the fact that many forms of psychotherapy were developed without the benefit of the current data about the brain, the effects of these psychotherapies are now supported by neuroscientific findings. This book argues that the brain is an organ of adaptation, built by interpersonal experiences and capable of change during one's life. Written for anyone interested in the relationship between brain and behavior, it encourages us to consider the brain when attempting to understand others and ourselves.
Maddock, J. & Larson, N. (1995). Incestuous Families: An Ecological Approach to Understanding and Treatment, Norton & Co.
This is one of the best books I know of for describing the systemic/ecological approach I employ. Although it is a text for professionals and deals with very difficult families, the description of power struggles is useful for anyone. These are two people to whom I owe a deep debt of gratitude and from whom I learned so of my best stuff.
Gladwell, M. (2002). Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Little, Brown, and Co.
This wildly popular book makes liberal use of psychological principles and findings and applies them to understand some of the common phenomena that we see in U.S. culture today.
Wilbur, K. (2007). Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Post Modern World. Shambala.
A noted Buddhist, philosopher, and prolific writer comments on the nature of change and the evolution of religion and spirituality. This book offers a heady but well written integration of why your emotional and psychological evolution is a spiritual act.
Seligman, M: The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy: The Consumer Reports Study. American Psychologist, December 1995, Copyright 1995 by the American Psychological Association, Inc., 0003-066X/95/Vol. 50, No. 12, 965?974.
In conjunction with the nation's best known product researchers, this psychologist surveyed the readers of Consumer Reports and on the basis of responses from over 7000 respondents, Seligman concludes that psychotherapy patients benefited substantially, that longer term therapy did better than short term, and that psychotherapy alone did not differ in effectiveness from medication plus psychotherapy treatments. Of course, these are aggregated results and individual considerations must be made to determiner the best approach for you.

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