What sabotages the love lives of today's independent women?
In an unconventional new book, German psychotherapist Maja Storch examines the ways that women (particularly those who we regard as successful, liberated and high-achieving) unwittingly undermine their intimate relationships. Dr Storch's work with women has enabled her to identify the unconscious reasons behind this process.
Many women have rejected the stereotypical female roles of their parents' era but now feel uncomfortable with their continuing desire for a loving partner. Instead of embracing this side of themselves and looking for a man to fulfill that desire, many women continue to fall for those men who are emotionally unavailable and who ultimately treat them badly.
Maja suggests that it is this rejection of their perceived weakness, which gets in the way of many women finding a safe and fulfilling relationship. She helps women unlock the fears that lie behind self-perpetuating patterns and achieve the necessary balance of independence, vulnerability, desire and strength that will enable them to succeed in a relationship.
In her bestselling book - The Strong Woman's Desire for a Strong Man, which has been translated into 10 languages - Maja Storch examines the ways in which successful, independent women (who she classes as 'strong') unwittingly manage to repeatedly undermine their intimate relationships, and their unconscious reasons for doing so.
About the author Dr Maja Storch is an analytical psychologist and therapist who works in the tradition of CG Jung and is based at the Educational Institute of the University of Zurich. She has an established sychotherapy practice in Germany and is a published author with books on youth, psychotherapy and personal development.
Up there with the meaning of life, it's one of humanity's most frequently posed questions. Most of us know that money, fast cars, big houses, designer clothes or a big-screen TV are not the answer, but how do we know what is?
'Happiness is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practised every day, while misery is simply a few errors of judgement and bad habits repeated every day.'
So says respected psychologist and author Dr Timothy Sharp. He is the founder (and Chief Happiness Officer!) of The Happiness Institute, Australia's only organisation focusing specifically on enhancing happiness in individuals, couples, families and organisations.
In a just-released new edition of The Happiness Handbook, Timothy Sharp introduces an interesting development of his happiness model. He brings together findings from the last few decades of positive psychology research and presents them in a way that's both practical and easy to remember. He says: 'Happiness is a decision we make every single minute, every hour, every day and ever week. There's nothing mystical or magical about happiness - rather, its something that we can all experience, or experience more of if we do the right sorts of things and make the right sort of choices. There's no doubt that happiness is something you choose - and this new model will help you make more decisions that will lead to more happiness.' This is his 'CHOOSE' happiness model in a nutshell:
C = Clarity (of life goals, direction and of purpose) H = Healthy living (it's hard to be happy if you're literally sick and tired all the time) O = Optimism (a positive attitude about yourself, your future and the world) O = Others (including all of the important relationships in your life) S = Strengths (making the most of your inherent qualities and attributes) E = Enjoy the moment (including having fun, as well as being grateful and appreciative)
Come on - choose to be happy!
About the author: Dr Timothy Sharp is a clinical and coaching psychologist. He is a speaker at the upcoming 2nd International Conference on Happiness & its Causes in Sydney, and founder of The Happiness Institute in Australia. Timothy Sharp, a consultant to many large organisations and hundreds of individual clients, has developed a range of simple but effective plans designed to increase people's happiness levels, and deliver life-changing results. He lives in Sydney.
