Loving in Flow: How the Happiest Couples Get and Stay That Way

by Susan K. Perry

Based upon the concept of Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's international bestseller, Loving in Flow combines the author's own experiences with studies of dozens of unusually happy long-term and married couples to discuss how compromise and communication, and being in flow, are the keys to building solid and long-lasting relationships. Perry uses interviews and recent research to discuss every aspect of a relationship, from the initial meeting through...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 140220065X
• ISBN13: 9781402200656
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Read this before you see a therapist.

Perry weaves the words of relationship experts with real-life couples to offer us a book that is highly readable, enjoyable, and well worth the money it can save you in therapy fees. Perry speaks candidly about her own relationship path and addresses universal relationship concerns like conflict, communication, and infidelity. Reading Loving in Flow is like sitting down with a friend and talking about relationships - it is honest, validating, and good for your soul.

Learn it. Know it. Live it.

Susan Perry's "Loving In Flow" is a gutsy tribute to honesty. Using anecdotes from her own life, she puts out a straight-to-the-core, no-frills set of frameworks for building and maintaining a real relationship. I saw my own failed attempts over and over in her examples and can only wonder how sucessful I might have been had this wonderful guide been available before.

Loving in Flow

Susan Perry's book on loving relationships is wonderful! She doesn't claim to know it all, like other relationship books I've read. Perry is humble and hilarious and admits that each relationship is unique with a complicated life of its own. I laughed, cried and nodded over and over in agreement. Her examples are insightful and straight to the heart. This is not a "how to" book but rather a "this is how others have done it and you might want to give it a try" book. A very personal and realistic account of the struggles and ultimate deep satisfaction of true commitment to another.

Excellent relationships book

I was impressed by this book and am definitely recommending it to others. Dr. Perry approaches the committed relationship from a different angle than most writers, making this an invaluable source for anyone who has a significant other. For from being a boring analytical "analysis", this book is full of tried and true methods from couples who have been through a lot together. making Dr. Perry's comments more than theory -- it makes them reality.

Finally! A book on relationships that makes perfect sense.

For the last 20 years, I have been reading books that addressed ways in which relationships, where two people come together with past histories and heavy baggage, could not only survive, but thrive. Whenever I've read these types of books, I have been left with some sense of still not quite understanding and still struggled to make sense of it all. After reading the first few pages of Susan Perry's book, I found myself saying "this makes perfect sense". While reading about this very complex issue - sustaining relationships through change - I was struck by Susan's ablity to have me feel as if she and I were sitting around sharing a cup of coffee. As I continued to read each page, I found myself turning back each corner of the page, so that I could come back and read them again. It became apparent that this author was able to get inside my soul and really have me feel as if she knew what I was feeling and could emphathize with my emotional roller coaster ride. From sharing her own life experiences, to exploring other married couples who were still "in flow", Susan provides the reader with much research from which to draw conclusions. Never preachy or judgmental in her writing, Susan allows the reader to feel that one must stumble a little in marriage before landing on one's own two feet. She made me feel that everything I was feeling was okay. Reading her book was like being with a very, very good friend. Her practical strategies for helping me understand my partner and working together to keep "in flow" were a real gift. I highly recommend this book!