Knowing If It's the Real Thing: Discovering the Roots of Intimacy by Gerald Alper

In his nearly twenty-five years as a practicing psychotherapist, Gerald Alper has found that personal intimacy is the single most prized yet inherently problematic element of human interaction, and that the avoidance of intimacy is the paradigmatic conflict of our age. And once it is finally discovered, how can one tell if it’s true intimacy?
Knowing If It’s the Real Thing establishes how one’s upbringing—particularly during adolescence—is the most significant factor in determining their ability to give and receive love; and by providing a thorough and multidimensional mosaic presentation of what intimacy is not, shows us how to recognize the fundamental ingredients of, and obstacles to, that elusive goal. With
refreshing candor, Alper also illuminates the role between patient and therapist as it relates to intimacy, and shares anecdotal accounts of his most challenging and rewarding cases in chapters such as “Drowning Out the Other,” “The Paranoid
Moment,” “I Did It My Way,” “I Can’t Commit,” and “Is This the One?”
These insights offer comfort and direction for those looking to supercharge their love life and better understand themselves and their relationships.