Loving Bravely

20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want

By: Alexandra H. Solomon PhD

Narrated by: Vanessa Daniels

Real love starts with you. Loving someone else requires courage and vulnerability. And in order to create deep and authentic relationships that really go the distance, it's important to develop self-awareness and a willingness to take responsibility for your experiences. You've heard the saying, "You can't love anyone unless you love yourself first." But in the midst of life's distractions and society's myths of flawless romance, how exactly do you do that? Loving Bravely offers 20 powerful lessons to help you explore and commit to your own emotional and psychological well-being so you can be ready, resilient, and confident in love. By understanding your history and past relationships, cultivating an unshakable sense of who you are, and determining what it is you really want in a romantic partner, you'll be prepared to create the healthy, lasting love your heart truly desires.

©2017 Alexandra H. Solomon (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"What a wonderful exploration into the language of intimacy, relationships, and love!" (Shefali Tsabary, PhD, New York Times bestselling author)

Gave better understand

The book gave me the tools to better understand current and past relationships. Really helped me avoid common pitfalls in relationships.

Relationship school for anyone at any relationship stage!

Alexandra Solomon is right up there with the Gottman’s when it comes to what she can teach anyone about relationship with others. Brimming with insightful, data-driven wisdom. I wish she read it all.

A must read for anyone committing to relationship

I wish I read this book in my twenties. Now in my forties it helps me find affirmation and words for lessons learned through my own experiences. It also helps me find new solutions and answers. I love how it offers a positive attitude and perspective of turning roadblocks in relationship into stepping stones.

Highly recommend

Very comprehensive and relevant. Lots of reminders as well as new thoughts. Great for learning about yourself.

Wonderful

This is one of the only books I’ve been able to listen to all the way through. I love the perspective and the way that book is laid out. I also printed out all the worksheets available online and used them as I was listening. These tips and tricks can be used for all intrapersonal relationships. Not just romantic ones great read over all

sex, communication and mindfulness

a great combo, a must listen for want-to-be-thoughtful-partners & brave lovers; definitely a book I will come back to

That narration though...

The content is really good. It highlights many researches themes that I have read or heard by other reputable sources. The activities give you an opportunity to put the information into practice. I liked the content so much I ordered a hard copy too. But.... the narration is just bad. I enjoy a good book in tape and know that a person's tone and inflection can mean everything for how the information is received. This one was almost too much for me. If I weren't so into learning the crux of the topic, I never would have made it past the forward.

Amazing book on how to love - for couples&singles!

"Relational self-awareness". One of two processes Dr. Alexandra Solomon has created and provided for anyone lucky enough to stumble upon this book while looking to improve their love lives. This core concept - the ability to engage in mindful attentiveness to both your partner's thoughts, emotions and reactions to you and, most importantly, yours.

a lot of DBT is used here - most comparatively when Alexandra talks about how we have a narrative mind that constructs "stories" to explain reality and our past experiences - and boy, is it eye-opening. Though on its face this is a book that guides you in your intimate relationship, you'll find that it is far more about Loving YOURSELF Bravely and learning to provide yourself the love you give to your S/O. Self-compassion is key to getting the most out of Alexandra's teachings.

Grounded, informative, and most of all inspiring, Loving Bravely encourages you to take a look at how you are constructing stories around your negative emotions and teaches you to own them via the second core process in the book: the "Name-Connect-Choose" process.

A must-read for both the committed and single. I myself am single as I write this review and though you hear "your intimate partner" a lot of the time, it is so easy to project yourself forward and imagine the partner you're GOING to be with the lessons learned from "Loving Bravely".

Wish I had this as a young adult! Holistic

Fabulous, helpful. practical and unassumingly profound. The narrator wasn't the best. Might want to buy the book to refer back to.

Has the potential to change your life

Excellent read for someone who is ready to investigate why they are who they are, their thoughts and reactions. A big component is moving from learned reactions that no longer serve you to being an observer of one's thoughts and actions. I read it in a book club and will definitely be reading it again. I also purchased the Kindle version. Highly recommend this book.