"Eric Bowers shows us how to delicately, courageously, and empathetically navigate the true nature of intimacy. Whether you are in a long-term relationship and looking to evolve together, or collecting yourself before beginning again, this book offers effective and loving tools for seeing you down the path."
~Mia Kalef, DC, author of The Secret Life of Babies
"Eric’s book is a precious gift for those looking to improve their relationships. It is also a coherent synthesis of Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Nonviolent Communication that therapists will find helpful in their healing work with clients. Eric’s courage, vulnerability and hard-won wisdom are a testament to the depths and edges he has explored in relationships."
~Dave Wali Waugh RPC, author of Evolving Soulfully
Synopsis
Why is it that intimate relationships give us the most exquisite and magical moments of our lives but also some of the most painful and heartbreaking experiences we endure? How is it possible that the meeting of two hearts brings out the best and worst of us? Meet Me In Hard-to-Love Places offers a clear and beautiful map for the wonderful, difficult and bewildering world of intimate relationships. I draw from attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, Nonviolent Communication, and my own explorations of hard-to-love places to explain why relationships fall apart and to give you the blueprint, building blocks, and inspiration from which to create a new foundation for love.
Meet Me In Hard-to-Love Places outlines the foundational ideas and principles of attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and Nonviolent Communication in ways that are very accessible to the reader. The stories and poems interspersed throughout my book help make the information personal, engaging and inspiring. Included at the end is a chapter of relationship practices and processes designed to enrich all of your relationships, as well as a chapter of practical tips for building successful relationships.
Maybe our dragons and demons are waiting for us to love the fire
Maybe our walls can come down now
Are you ready, am I ready to meet me in hard to love places
"In my work as a Somatic Psychotherapist, I have already recommended this book to many of my clients and colleagues. There are numerous books out there talking about the ins and outs of attachment and relationship and how to understand it. I have read most of them. I am excited about Meet Me In Hard-to-Love Places because it feels comprehensive, holistic and accessible to anyone who is curious about their habitual patterns in relationship and how to overcome and understand reactivity and the various stuck places that occur inside ourselves in relationship. It is also very informative for mental health clinicians – it adds depth, insight and tools to the rich layers of the therapeutic relationship. It is the first book on attachment theory that I have read that breaks down attachment patterns in-depth and in a way that looks through a lens of healing and hope instead of pathology." ~ Shelby Leigh, MA, Portland, OR.
"The first part of Eric’s title - Meet Me In Hard-to-Love Places - was enough to inspire me to read the whole book. Hard-to-Love Places, aren’t these the places where we find ourselves struggling, disappearing, dissociating, blaming, and abandoning ourselves and others? Eric set out with a great deal of intention and commitment and drive to discover how to meet himself and the people he cares about in these hard to love places. This book is his account of this journey.
To read this book is to be inspired to continue walking on our own journeys, whatever they are–not to give up. And to feel the power of connection, breaking through, like sunlight, into the places we have become accustomed to inhabiting, all alone." ~ Shayla Wright, wideawakeheart.net