Breathing Room: Creating Space to Be a Couple (Paperback)

by Elayne Savage (Author)
Key Phrases: emotional fusion, individual framework, Two Without, Intimate Strangers, Murray Bowen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Intimacy is a balancing act that leaves most people teetering between their need for closeness and their need for autonomy. Couples often fall into treacherous patterns of hurt feelings and misunderstandings as one partner pushes for more intimacy and the other pulls away. In Breathing Room, psychtherapist Elayne Savage shows readers how to recognize what the space struggles in their relationships are really about. Thought-provoking exercises and examples from her her friends, practice and workshop participants help couples get past old resentments and negotiate a shared space that satisfies each person's expectations and needs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572242213
• ISBN-13: 978-1572242210
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #553,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A ground breaking book!, January 22, 2001

By A Customer

Breathing Room is a "must buy" for anyone that is currently in or wants to be in a relationship. Dr. Savage takes the notion of space to new heights. The reader comes away with a better understanding of space, self, and the insight to give his/her relationship room to grow. Breathing Room is an informative book that is written in a way that is easy to understand. This is a deep and thought provoking book. I highly recommend it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The authority for interpreting your partner's need for space, March 31, 2003

By A Customer

My now-fiancé and I have been trying to understand each other's respective need for space / intimacy for over a year now. This book is the Rosetta Stone and serves as a translator for those who confuse the need for space with rejection. This wonderful book has helped me not just understand her point of view, but my own as well, as if from a third-party perspective. That has been the real key in helping our previously-floundering and questioning relationship achieve a new level of intimacy and understanding.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent couples book!!, April 21, 2001

By	Patty E. Fleener "Webowner - Mental Health Today" (Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am the webowner of Mental Health Today. This book discusses the all important and often misunderstood art of being intimate without being stifling. Great Affirmations along with couples discussion topics and exercises. Great primer on setting boundaries both inside and outside your relationship. Also discuss your behaviors when your boundaries have been crossed. I would consider this a wonderful book for the couple searching for intimacy, without feeling overwhelmed.