The Joy of Imperfect Love The Art of Creating Healthy, Securely Attached Relationships

Embracing the messiness of real love, The Joy of Imperfect Love explores attachment issues and personal growth, uncovering the secrets to lasting, joy-filled connections.

Stuck in unhealthy relationship dynamics? Yearning to find (or be) that perfect someone? Can you accept someone while also wanting them to grow? The key to healthy relationships is accepting that real love is messy, imperfect, and a work in progress!

In the enriching pages of The Joy of Imperfect Love, clinical psychologist Dr. Carla Marie Manly guides readers on a transformative journey of compassionate, healthy love. With research-backed insights, captivating case studies, and empowering exercises, this gentle guidebook explores how attachment issues and unresolved personal issues negatively impact both self-love and the quality of our relationships. Dr. Manly offers sound solutions for creating the awareness, self-love, and healthy habits that promote loving connection. Readers will breathe a sigh of deep relief as they discover the doable, real-life secrets to creating joy-filled relationships and genuine, imperfect love.

Clinical psychologist, author, and speaker Dr. Carla Marie Manly makes her home in Sonoma County, California. With a refreshing mindfulness-based approach, Dr. Manly focuses on supporting others in their journeys of personal transformation and the creation of deeply fulfilling relationships.

Preface

Introduction

PART ONE: Imperfect Self-Love
Chapter 1: The Science of Imperfect Love
Chapter 2: The Complexity of Imperfect Love
Chapter 3: Knowing and Embracing Your Imperfect Self
Chapter 4: Imperfectly Loving Yourself from the Inside Out
Chapter 5: The Gifts of Imperfect Love
Chapter 6: The Negative Scripts That Divide Us

PART TWO: Bringing Imperfect Love into Your Relationships
Chapter 7: The Power of Genuine Friendship
Chapter 8: The Power of Clear and Honest Relationship Ethics
Chapter 9: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
Chapter 10: The Power of Connective Communication and Healthy Conflict
Chapter 11: Sexual Intimacy: The Physical and Emotional Conversation of Love
Chapter 12: The Care and Feeding of Imperfect Love

Postscript: The Stone of You, the Stone of Me

Exercise Appendix

About the Author
About Familius