PRAISE
PRAISE FOR BEAUTY OF CONFLICT FOR COUPLES BOOK
“This genius little book will teach you how to transform your conflict into closeness. A beautiful read for anyone in a relationship they want to take higher.”
– Regena Thomashauer, NY Times bestselling author. Author of Mama Gena's Marriage Manual and Pussy: A Reclamation. As seen on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Today Show
“THE BEAUTY OF CONFLICT - FOR COUPLES is a knock-your-socks-off book for anyone who has ever struggled with intimacy, vulnerability, and the longing to make this relationship work even when it seems impossible. Susan and CrisMarie are absolute geniuses at helping couples go in - to greater depth - and go out - to transformational solutions. This book is readable (I couldn’t put it down!), funny, warm, practical and powerful. If you work with couples - or if you are in a couple - or frankly if there is anyone in your life you are in conflict with - this will become your go-to book. It has certainly become mine!”
– Ann Weiser Cornell, author of The Radical Acceptance of Everything and Focusing in Clinical Practice: The Essence of Change.
"Susan and CrisMarie make it fun and exciting to learn about the thing most of us fear most in our relationships: conflict. Their stories, tips and frameworks will give your relationship true joy, connection and mutual respect. Every couple needs this book!"
– Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work and Escape from Cubicle Nation
“Total game changer! Follow this simple, proven, step-by-step, process to get what you want in your relationship… while creating the connection and love you crave!”
–Susan Hyatt, author of Create Your Own Luck and Bare
“Whether you’re navigating a major relationship challenge—like an affair—or just bickering over ‘the dishes’ or ‘the laundry’ for the hundredth time, this book provides sound guidance on how to handle conflicts when they arise, cool down, think clearly, communicate respectfully, and find creative solutions that neither of you had been able to ‘see’ before.”
– Alexandra Franzen, author of You’re Going to Survive
“Most people hate conflict and try to avoid it, at all costs. This book proves that conflict doesn't have to be scary--it can be creative fuel for your relationship. A disagreement about chores, money (or anything else) can be an opportunity to understand each other more deeply and feel more intimate and connected than ever before."
– Sherrie Toews, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
“Why do people who begin their relationship joyfully, feeling passionate and excited about being with each other find themselves bickering, disappointed, hurting, and at times helpless in the face of differences that can seem daunting? What are the possibilities for increasing harmony and peace at home—while also nourishing genuine intimacy, passion, and excitement? It is possible—particularly when you have guidance from skilled navigators who have travelled tumultuous waters before you. Not only do Campbell and Clarke offer over twenty years of counseling and coaching experience, they have wholeheartedly engaged in their own voyage of discovery.
Through dynamic collaboration and courageous personal revelation, they have co-created this guidebook for you so that you don’t have to go it alone any longer. CrisMarie and Susan have skillfully laid out the map that will show you the way to transforming time and energy that is usually consumed in bickering, avoiding or enduring conflict, co-existing while quietly longing for that “something” that seems to be missing into creating deeper intimacy and more ease and enjoyment than ever before.”
– Linda Nicholls, Dip.C., PhD and Senior Faculty Haven Institute
“There are many books about relationships, but most of them are not like this one. Practical and thought-provoking, The Beauty of Conflict outlines a tested approach to the disagreements and conflicts that can arise in relationships of all sorts.
Some readers may be surprised by the candor of the authors: they put themselves and their own relationship “out there” with the stories they share. CrisMarie and Susan are not professing some abstract theory. They are themselves living and practicing with the tools they outline in the book. They are “telling it like it is” in their own lives, and in the lives of their clients. In these pages, they offer their discoveries to readers who want to find more in their relationship lives. They urge partners to practice what they do with each other: to speak honestly and openly, even when the sharing is difficult.
Using their own personal stories, and vignettes about their clients, they illustrate their methods with real life examples. They don’t hold back in their case reports, and address issues between couples that often are only hinted at in other writings.
Susan and CrisMarie show how it is possible to access the energy of conflict to revitalize stalled relationships, and bring more depth in shared lives together. This book will be useful for people in new relationships to establish life-giving interactive skills; as well, it will be appealing to those who have been in relationship for years, who are looking for more depth and range in their lives.”
– Jock McKeen, co-Founder of The Haven, Author of The Illuminated Heart
"All couples, regardless of where they are in their relationship, need this book. The authors have created the perfect guide for anyone looking to navigate the rocky waters of conflict, and they turn disagreement into creative fuel for your relationship. Anyone reading this book will find an opportunity to understand each other more deeply and feel more intimate and connected than ever before.”
–Tammy Nelson, PhD is a Certified Sex and Relationship Therapist and the author of The New Monogamy and Getting the Sex You Want.
“Whether you stay together or ultimately decide it’s best to split up, the concepts and tools that CrisMarie and Susan share in this little book will help you have those tough conversations in a healthy way. You'll be able to bring yourself more fully forward, gaining the clarity you need to make the decision that fits best for both of you."
– Laura Munson, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of the acclaimed Haven Writing Retreats