Relationships Matter

Turn any Relationship into an Extraordinary Relationship "A refreshing alternative to common self-help approaches." —Michael E. Kerr, M.D., Director, Georgetown Family Center, Washington, D.C. and coauthor with Dr. Murray Bowen of Family Evaluation After food, water, and shelter, relationships are the most important factors in determining your quality of life. At work, productivity and efficiency depend on relationships. At home, relationships with your spouse, children, and friends are keys to success and happiness. And among nations, relationships start and stop wars. This invaluable guide shows that only by further developing yourself can you further develop your relationships. Based on the innovative family systems theory pioneered by the late Dr. Murray Bowen, this important and penetrating book offers practical and authoritative family therapy advice that has helped thousands of people throughout the last three decades. It’s a blueprint to better relationships that tells how the principles of family systems theory can be used in all arenas of your life, including intimate relationships, friendships, family relationships, single life, workplace relationships, international relationships, and your relationship with yourself. "A perfect and unpretentious primer of family relationships … a relief to read." —Dr. Walter Toman, Professor Emeritus, Erlangen-Nürnberg University, Germany, and author of Family Constellation

User Reviews about Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions

Excellent info and insight into how we relate to each other. Based on Bowen's theory, the author does a good job of revisiting this info. Not a flowing, easy read though. Several paragraphs or phrases required a second pass due to the way they were written. However, there is valuable info/insight to be gleaned from this book and worth treading slowly (or repeating) some passages. -- Extraordinary Relationships

A psychologist recommended I read this book as my daughter and I were having issues. Wow! What you'll find in this book will change your whole thinking about relationships with family members. Very enlightening as to why we all behave as we do and what affect our behavior has on the development of our children. A MUST read for every parent. I bought a copy for each of our children and grandchildren to read. -- Extremely enlightening!

I read this book while studying family psychology. I had never read about or learned about Bowen/Family Systems theory before and I now have a very good understanding of its underlying premises. Written in very easy-to-understand and accessible language, this book is great for people entirely new to the theory. In sections covering changing patterns in relationships, I thought there was an unnecessarily long emphasis and focus on biofeedback therapy, where there could have been more information given about other ways of approaching pattern change (the book does mention other methods). -- Good, simple overview of Bowen's theory

I am a family law attorney in Southern California who is presently obtaining a Masters in Family Studies at Loma Linda University. This book is assigned reading for one of my classes.

I have to say that Murray Bowen's systems theory, as clearly and simply articulated in Dr. Gilbert's book, is an outstanding resource for lawyers generally but particularly those of us dealing with the aftermath of relationship breakup. To the extent that family law attorneys are front line crisis responders, the insights that can be gained here have huge potential to help understand and redirect client reactivity away from emotional trance and destructive behavior which is so often seen, particularly where children are involved. For me personally this systems' way of thinking is one of the most important reference points I've encountered in years!

T.W. Arnold

P.S. Have a Mindful Divorce! -- Extraordinary Relationships Is a Great Resource for Divorce Lawyers