Make Love Better

Overview

Using stories from her own colorful relationship life and from her work with clients from diverse backgrounds around the world, Jan Dworkin, PhD, lays bare her missteps and triumphs both in and out of the bedroom with honesty, humor, and depth. She offers concrete tools to help couples navigate power dynamics and conflicts that arise from differences in gender, class, race, sexual desire, communication styles, dreams and opposing points of view. Through sassy stories, step-by-step exercises, and hard-earned wisdom, Dworkin guides readers to build their very own "relationship practice." Whether you are embarking on a new relationship, striving to improve an existing one, or recouping after a breakup, prepare yourself to laugh, cry, and gain the education of a lifetime. This is the real world of relationships with no holds barred.

Reviews

"Jan Dworkin has written a highly original and very personal guide to navigating and improving relationships. She holds nothing back as she shares brutally honest personal stories to help those struggling with intersectional relationship issues and power dynamics. The result is a distinctive, compelling, and practically useful read." — Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn

"Make Love Better is brimming with deep wisdom and practical suggestions that will help your relationships for years to come." — Katherine Woodward Thomas, M.A., MFT, author, Conscious Uncoupling

"Make Love Better is a radically inclusive, incredibly generous, and totally accessible blueprint for a new age of romance and sex. If you want to improve your relationships, your sex life, and your own self-worth and inner wisdom, get this book." —Jessica Graham, author, Good Sex

"Dr. Dworkin shows readers that bringing awareness to their relationship interactions is a form of world work and has the potential to change the world." —Arnold Mindell, Ph.D., author, Sitting in the Fire

 "This brilliant, funny, and smart book is a bible for anyone looking for help to make relationships work, whatever that means to them." —Julie Diamond, Ph.D., author, Power

"Make Love Better: How to Own Your Story, Connect with Your Partner, and Deepen Your Relationship Practice is more than just another addition to the self-help relationship improvement shelf. It comes from a therapist whose decades of work includes cross-cultural and international experiences. This background allows for an unusual blend of approaches.  Dr. Dworkin's personal story and case studies form the foundation of an examination that focuses on common conflicts stemming from issues of race, gender, and class. These are subjects all too frequently omitted in favor of psychological profiles and background, yet are often key influencers in relationship issues and power dynamics.  From the trickiness of language nuances in interpersonal communications to practices to calm the nervous system and discussions of how the brain is wired to connect (which can have unexpected consequences, as in Dworkin's relationship, in which "We were entangled, but not necessarily in sync."), Make Love Better isn't about better sexual intimacy alone (as a reader might expect). It delves into the mechanics of making better connections and fostering intimacy on an emotional level. Readers receive a self-help guide that empowers them to rewrite their own life story and objectives.  From clarifying confusing experiences to techniques for improving new and old relationships alike, addressing common patterns, sources of conflict, and pathways towards resolution, Make Love Better offers a wide-ranging approach to deeper intimacy and relationships. It is highly recommended for those who would do the exercises and embark on a journey that begins with self-examination." —Diane Donovan, Donovan's Bookshelf

Author Biography

Jan Dworkin, PhD, has more than 25 years of international, cross-cultural experience as a therapist for individuals and couples and as a conflict resolution educator and facilitator. She co-founded the Process Work Institute, co-authored its masters programs, and served as its academic dean for ten years. She is also an executive coach specializing in leadership development in the creative industries.