Reptiles in Love: Ending Destructive Fights and Evolving Toward More Loving Relationships

By Don Ferguson

Book Overview

Nagging, snide comments, passive-aggressive tendencies, running away, childish insults; sometimes even the most loving couples can revert to their primitive nature. Don Ferguson, a psychologist and relationship therapist, has discovered that no matter how evolved we think we are, our reptilian brain is still primed for instantaneous reactions and fight-or-flight. This syndrome can rule relationships and in the end destroy them. Through the latest neurological research, Ferguson has discovered how to manage our primitive reactions with thoughtful, 'new brain' interventions. Written in a highly entertaining and readable way, Reptiles in Love has an answer for helping couples to stop attacking each other and transform their dysfunctional, prehistoric relationship into a more evolved and loving partnership.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787983209
• ISBN13: 9780787983208
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent and Funny

I loved this book! As someone who can at times become a bit "reptile", it has been a big help. My wife and I just saw Don at the Smart Marriages Conference in San Francisco, and ended up talking about it for hours afterward. It's a great book to read together as a couple. Neil McNerney, LPC [...]

Important book

I really appreciate this author for his deep knowledge of human interactions, and capacity to frame things in a way that the reader can relate to. While the book uses humor (occasionally corny), the real meat of it is the way that it asks the reader to put thoughfullness over instinct. "Reptiles" finds a way to keep couples "in the game." I heard the author give a talk a few months after the book was published; he is a really smart guy and made a lot of sense. Worth reading!

An absolute must read

Disguised as a humorous discussion about bonded couples, Dr. Don Ferguson's Reptiles in Love is a bible of information to build happy, healthy, more loving relationships. What makes lasting couples different from pairs that split? How can couples that seem to have "fallen out" of love bring joy back into their marriage? With years of experience and research in the field of marital and couples therapy Dr. Ferguson gives us instructions. An absolute must-read for anyone who has broken up despite mutual love because of destructive behavior.

Practical and Fun

Dr. Ferguson has written an excellent book for either therapists or couples. He defines a cause and provides solutions for communication breakdowns in relationships. "Reptiles in Love" is an enjoyable read full of practical techniques and humorous anecdotes.

Reptiles in Love- A very human look at the complexities of intimate relationships

This book is an intelligent, humorous, practical and supremely human guide of how to understand and get the most out of being in an intimate loving relationship. I appreciated the complete lack of psychobabble and the clarity with which complex and confusing interpersonal experiences are explained along with practical suggestions to deepen the joy of relating to those we love most.