The book offers an introduction to using IFS parts work in couples counseling. The examples given and the clarity of the model make this an ideal book for therapists interested in doing parts work with the couples with whom they are working - and for the lay reader wanting to better understand why their relationship is failing and how to fix it.
One of the keys in this book is understanding how each person in a couple has parts that get "set off" by the other person, and how that can escalate into fights, alienation, and eventually the end of the relationship. The more time we spend relating from our parts, the less intimacy we experience in the relationship.
A big lesson in this work is that to have and maintain a healthy relationship, we need to be self-led, coming from that authentic part of ourselves that isn't caught up in possession, attachment, neediness, or fear.
