From Pain to Passion: Building A Truly Great Relationship

Rating:
Summary: Real Love Ain't For Sissies, Okay?
Review: Most any decent writer can put eloquent and profound
ideas into eloquent and profound language, but rare indeed is the
writer that can place the eloquent and profound into simple and
powerful words that grasp not only the mind, but the heart and
gut of real people living real lives in the (sometimes not so pretty)real world. Such is Adele Britton's work in From Pain To Passion:
Building A Truly Great Relationship.

Abruptly at times, she strips away, even demolishes our
misconceptions and dreamy-eyed expectations about love and
mating that either keep us hopelessly mired in un-fulfilling
relationships, or that destroy our relationships altogether. She
helps us to see clearly the unadulterated bull we have
assimilated into our psyche from movies, romance novels, love
songs, and perhaps most significantly, our family of origin. From
there she leads us on to an understandable, applicable and
DOable journey to the healthy, mutually-nurturing, solid,
passionate and fun (yes fun!) loving relationship that "WE" can
choose to have instead. And she explains how that choice, if
we're willing to make it, requires much of us:

"Real love asks only that you are worthy. It requires that you
prepare for it and respect it. Love demands that you are self-
aware, deeply honest, and profoundly generous. In order for
love to thrive in your life, you have to come to love's door with a
sincere wish to be authentic."

Clearly, she emphasizes that a couple must share the same
deep core intentions towards "building a great relationship"
before they are able to create one. More than once, and with a
"right-in-your-face, gently" style, she says things that many of us
may not want, but so desperately need to hear:

"When love kicks you in the teeth, it is telling you to grow up and
to get rid of the small pitiful parts of yourself that belittle and
betray you. It is reminding you not to settle for the abusive, the
superficial, or the trivial in yourself or in your relationship."

"........if your love is riddled with unresolved conflict you will have
defeated its highest aspirations."

Ms. Britton explodes our fantasy that "I " can heal "OUR"
relationship. She also slaps us (as in "Thanks, I needed that!")
with the hard truth that if we lead our partner to water and they
absolutely refuse to drink, that it may well be time to stop beating
this dead horse (our relationship) to death and head out alone
on foot.

In the course of the four compact disc set (3 hours, 45 minutes)
Adele Britton takes us through a number of real life examples of
troubled relationships; some that crash and burn, and others
where couples choose to move from some very real pain to find
the passion of a deeply committed partnership. These are
certainly not stories out of a romance novel, nor are they overly-
dramatized tragedies; they are a reflection of the author's
experience of nearly thirty years of working with troubled
couples. Real life? A few of them hit me right between the eyes
with the gut-wrenching problems, the graphic language, and the
heartbreaking disappointments that had been all too familiar in
my own (and perhaps your) experience. The good news: Britton
shows us the "red flag" warnings that can lead to disaster along
the way, and where our relationships can make the right turns
towards healing instead.

So why does Britton use the "audio book" CD format and not the
printed page? Well, I suspect that among "real people living real
lives in the (sometimes not so pretty) real world", there's at least
a few million who are doing a one hour-plus commute twice daily
while listening to the voices in their head agonizing over the pain
of...........well, name your own. A most excellent (and most
loving) alternative would be to slip From Pain To Passion into your
player and begin the journey out of the pain and into your
own passion.

Craig Mathews,
(...)

Rating:
Summary: Insightful, clear and powerful advice...
Review: This book is a clear, concise and practical guide to improving the quality of any relationship. Without any lengthy discussions, confusing jargon, and beating around the bush, Adele Britton takes the bull by the horns and cuts to the chase. Clear examples illustrate how to deepen love, intimacy, trust and mutual respect. The concepts she talks about are seemingly simple, yet very powerful. I believe that this book is a must for anybody who wants to make a conscious effort to improve their relationships.