Is It Love or Is It Addiction? - Second Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm, the German-born American psychoanalyst, says most efforts to love fail unless a person has actively tried to develop..." (more)
Key Phrases: Child Ego State, Natural Child, Little Professor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Is It Love or Is It Addiction? has helped many people find their way from the fear and distrust in poor relationships to the fulfillment in meaningful ones. Psychotherapist Brenda Schaeffer draws on common sense, compassion, and years of experience to provide tools for moving from addictive to healthy love.

About the Author

Brenda is an internationally known author, highly trained psychologist, and accomplished speaker. She has appeared on Fox O'Reilly News, the Sally Jesse Raphael show and many other television and radio shows in the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Schaeffer has been featured in magazines such as Elle, New Woman, and Lotus. She is author of newly released and highly praised, Love's Way, The Union of Body, Ego, Soul and Spirit, the best seller, Is It Love or Is It Addiction?, Loving Me Loving You, Signs of Healthy Love, Signs of Addictive Love, Power Plays, Helping Yourself Out of Love Addiction. With over 500,000 of her publications in print and in five languages--English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Chinese--Brenda has already helped thousands of people understand the difference between love and love addiction. Drawing from years of personal, professional, and spiritual questioning, she offers expert advice, and fresh new perspectives as she convincingly addresses age-old questions about love. Speaking internationally on the subject, she has found that people everywhere are fervent in their search to learn more about how to make love relationships work. She unites a wide range of topics in her repertoire of presentations including bringing western psychology and various world philosophies into her work. Her style is direct and compassionate. She is a licensed psychologist, and a certified addictions specialist in sexual addiction. She holds a doctorate in Creation Spirituality from the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California. She believes painful life events, including those in our love life, can be wake up calls and that therapy should be movement forward on our soul's journey. She also believes that the highest goal a therapist can have for a client is to instill in them that solutions to their problems lie within them and to pass on tools to guide people to those answers. Dr. Schaeffer is currently director of Healthy Relationships, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she conducts therapy, training, and workshops. She has had expert training in hypnosis, trauma, developmental psychology, transactional analysis, gestalt, sexual addiction, soul-centered, existential, and transpersonal psychology.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden; 2 edition (October 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568381409
• ISBN-13: 978-1568381404
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #212,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #85 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Mental Health > Codependency
  #94 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Codependency

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for addicts who want real love!, July 28, 2001

By A Customer

I can't believe I am the first one to review this book! After struggling with addictions of all sorts for years (including alcohol, drugs, sex, and love addiction), I finally determined why I kept sabotaging my relationships with women. My compulsive search for something to help me feel less pain came from my childhood, and this book was the stepping stone that helped me see that there was hope to overcome this tricky addiction, seek help, and learn to love myself and others with authenticity.

I highly recommend this book to any alcoholic, chemically dependent or sexually addicted person. There is hope for a relationship without painful addictive behaviors, and this book will help you find that hope!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, July 20, 2005

By	Heather R. Maxfield "Rosalia" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not only discusses the symptoms, but also walks you through some steps to stop it, and to work through it. A wonderful book. I keep it on my bedside and consult it frequently even though I have read it cover to cover.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books I've ever read, July 28, 2006

By	merganser - See all my reviews

I initially bought this book because I wondered if being in love was just an addiction. But I learned so much more than that. This book should be helpful for practically everyone. It talks about how our love relationships are related to unmet needs from childhood. It described my parents relationship almost exactly and I see how it affected me. It was amazing that anyone knew all this stuff.