resources - shari levine, licensed marriage and family therapist

Some really good books. Click on the covers for descriptions.

We all know the headiness and excitement of the early days of love. But what comes after? In Edinburgh, a couple, Rabih and Kirsten, fall in love. They get married, they have children--but no long-term relationship is as simple as “happily ever after.” The Course of Love explores what happens after the birth of love, what it takes to maintain, and what happens to our original ideals under the pressures of an average existence. We see, along with Rabih and Kirsten, the first flush of infatuation, the effortlessness of falling into romantic love, and the course of life thereafter.

In Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation, Daniel Shaw presents a way of understanding the traumatic impact of narcissism as it is engendered developmentally, and as it is enacted relationally. Focusing on the dynamics of narcissism in interpersonal relations, Shaw describes the relational system of what he terms the 'traumatizing narcissist' as a system of subjugation – the objectification of one person in a relationship as the means of enforcing the dominance of the subjectivity of the other.

How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart--when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain? The answer, Pema Chödrön suggests, might be just the opposite of what you expect. Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, Pema shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined. Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy.

articles:

Hold Me Tight by Susan Johnson

Five Powerful Ways Abusive Narcissists Get Inside Your Head
from Self Care Haven website.

A Dad's Letter to His Son (About the Only Good reason to Get Married
by: Kelly M. Flanagan

The Debt: What Do Grown Children Owe Their Terrible, Abusive Parents
by: Emily Yoffe

Co-Narcissism: How We Accommodate to Narcissistic Parents
by: Alan Rappaport, Ph. D.

Shame by: Robert Karen

other professionals to know about:

These are therapists I refer to often and whose work I really trust:

Loralee Newman, LPC ~

Certifed EFT couples therapist. Offers skilled couples therapy using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) www.loraleenewman.com.

Marla Feinberg, LMFT ~

Trained in Attachment Issues, Trauma, EMDR and AEDP. Sees Individuals and Couples. http://www.portlandrelationshiptherapist.com

Ann Davidman, MFT ~

Offering focused sessions within a safe and structured environment to explore and understand the many feelings associated with the decision about whether or not to become a parent. Ann is based in Oakland, CA, however, she has successfully worked remotely with clients all over the world on this issue. Along with her co-author, Ann wrote Motherhood, Is It For Me: Your Step by Step Guide to Clarity. www.motherhoodisitforme.com

Katherine Johnson ~

Offering Aligned Presence Mastery, a unique and results-oriented online small group program for women moving forward after divorce. Katherine supports women to discover how they show up in the world and helps them set the stage for their next chapter feeling more comfortable in their skin, more confident in their presence, and supported to thrive as the person they are now in life. Earning her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and masters degree from Lewis & Clark College, Katherine is passionate about teaching women how to access, cultivate, and translate their personal power into an aligned presence that brings greater success and happiness in their personal and professional lives.
trueselfpresence.com/aligned-presence-mastery/