“The editors’ starting point was the surprising discovery that love has been little explored and conceptualised in the literature of psychoanalytic work with intimate couple relationships. Gathering together the thinking and practice of experienced psychoanalytic clinicians from around the world – from south America, north America, Australia, China, Poland and the UK - this collection certainly makes up for that absence! Utilising psychoanalytic and link theories, it explores love in all its complexities, personal, interpersonal and social. It explores issues of attachment, sexuality and the impact of culture. It examines the experience of love in more disregulated couples, in cross-cultural partnerships, in same-sex and in non-monogamous relationships, and its fate in later life. Matters of love, hate and curiosity, or the lack of curiosity, about the otherness of the other, are all variously addressed by every author. Each chapter is grounded in conceptual considerations, richly informed by clear clinical illustrations. As a result, practitioners are invited to keep in mind that however vulnerable, or even absent, feelings of love might be for couples in conflict and distress, who come into treatment, rediscovering the developmental potential of a loving relationship might still be possible.” - Stanley Ruszczynski, Psychoanalyst, former Clinical Director Portman Clinic, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust“Without knowing it we have been waiting for this book! Friend and Morgan have assembled a unique collection of rich and beautifully written papers addressing the subject of love and its vicissitudes in the couple relationship and clinical work. Addressing various psychoanalytic perspectives, cultural themes, developmental registers and diverse populations, this book will remain an invaluable resource for years to come.” - Rachael Peltz, Psychoanalyst, Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California“This timely volume returns love to the center of psychoanalytic couple therapy, where it belongs. Edited by two deeply experienced clinicians from different backgrounds, it offers a rich range of theoretical, clinical, and cultural perspectives, deepening our understanding of love’s complexities, transformations, and vulnerabilities in intimate relationships. Essential reading for clinicians working with couples and for thoughtful readers interested in love.” - Elizabeth Palacios, Psychoanalyst, Chair COFAP (IPA Couple and Family Committee) “Love and couples. They go together. Yet love has been relatively neglected as a focus in couple psychoanalysis. This book brings love out of the cold with a brilliant collection of papers from around the world, evidence that couple psychoanalysis has arrived as an international discipline. Including cutting-edge thinkers and many analytic perspectives, the editors have created a remarkably coherent, insightful, and much-needed book, bringing fresh thinking to our understanding of love and of our attempts as clinicians to help those who come to us with developmental injuries in their capacities to love and be loved.” - Andrew Balfour, Consultant Clinical Psychologist | Adult & Couple Psychotherapist; Chief Executive at Tavistock Relationships
