Customer Reviews

Love & Betrayal

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The best relationship I ever had with a woman ended abruptly when she found someone new. Our relationship had been built on trust and openness, so much so that she once said she "never had to wear a mask" when we were together. But when it ended she wouldn't talk to me. I desperately needed to know the how and the why. For almost a year I spun my wheels trying to understand what had happened, why I felt so awful. I counseled, I talked to friends, I read the books in my library's self-help section. All these things were fine, they all had some insights, except nothing addressed the heart of my pain.

And then I came to this book in the stacks. It is beautifully written. It is logical and sensible. It shows a deep understanding of this most important of all things in our lives. And it went straight to the core of my heartbreak. Every page had a sentence or paragraph or concept that was stunning. It took me a month to read half the book, because I could not read more than a few pages before I had to put it down and think about it. I can't praise a book more than that. Finally the healing could start for me. If that wasn't enough, there is also some how-to guidance for minimizing the chances of betrayal in the future. I am still thinking through all that but it feels right. This book is a one-of-a-kind for me.

Based on this premise, this author is amazingly adept at seeing through to our souls, to all the times in our lives we loved and trusted, only to have dreams shattered, lives wrecked and pieces all over the ground. Easy to read and absolutely true to form, this book describes what betrayal is because it comes in so many forms, somes we never even thought of, and how betrayal by trusted loved ones or others can change you, making you a person that you yourself can no longer understand. Painfully, and step by step, as you read this book, there is a high probability you will catch glimpses (maybe even photos!) of yourself. It sometimes wasn't an easy book to read when it really hit home at points, but it definitely is a must read anyhow. Dealing with secrets people keep, nasty gossip, odd behavior and all the way up to infidelity, buy this book and learn to heal. It's the only one to date I've found that at least gives you the desire to do so again.

Being betrayed by someone we love and trust is a devastating thing. The author of this book discusses his clinical experiences and the process involved when healing from an experience of betrayal. Just the fact that the author explains things in a caring and gentle manner makes this book very therapeutic to read. But it's not only just that. This book gives people with experiences of betrayal hope and direction. If you are struggling with experiences of betrayal, I'd definitely recommend this book. Another book that has helped me considerably on this topic is "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is an unbelievably good book that explains many psychological things but one of them is the coping and recovery process of betrayal and loss. If you are trying to move on from an experience of betrayal, these books are both very very helpful.

Betrayal is one of the most painful and difficult experiences in any relationship. It's so charged that many stay victimized by their own hurt and anger for many years. John Amodeo's excellent book addresses the issues of betrayal in depth and with great sensitivity and intelligence. First he gives us the gift of understanding and then shows us practical steps we can take to resolve our feelings and enter into new relationships freshly, with confidence and awareness.

Like John's earlier book, Being Intimate, Love and Betrayal will deepen your relationships, but just as important will deepen your contact with your self. Take the time to read John's books. They're a healing balm in a time of need.

I got half way through "Love & Betrayal" by John Amodeo and had to put it down. While the author seems to fully understand how one who has been betrayed feels, he offered no helpful solutions for the problem. I was looking for ways to help deal with what happened to me so I could move forward without hurting my current relationship. After reading chapter after chapter of the same thing over and over again, I finally threw the book away. It's possible that the final chapters have some kind of solution, but I was looking for something positive and encouraging and didn't find that in the first half of the book. Like I said, and much like the book, I repeat, monotonous!