The Story of WE: A New Theory on Couples, Relationships, and Love

"Smart, well-written, a refreshing encounter with new ideas." --Boris Cyrulnik, Best-selling author of Resilience and Talking of Love.

"If the couple is a 'sentimental organism, ' as I like to call it, Dimitra Doumpioti describes its anatomy and its physiology, making it worthy of scientific exploration. Reading the book and following her ideas, we will learn about the unique poetry of every couple emerging as a chant, derived from the struggling of internal and external forces, where the voices of I's and of the WE are smoothly blended. Please, take a seat, the 'WE' is on the stage and the drama involves all of us." --Maria Laura Vittori, Professor of Psychology, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome

"A new conceptual approach, brilliantly explained, and widely applicable. Indispensable book." --Alberto Gimeno, PhD, Associate Professor for Family Business, ESADE Business School, Barcelona

Love may be the blindest spot of our civilization.

We talk, write, and sing about it, live for it, die for it, and yet love does not directly inform the way we structure our society. We have managed to digitally connect the whole planet but still struggle when it comes to understanding how our relationships work. In this ground-breaking new synthesis of psychological theory, psychotherapy expert Dimitra Doumpioti brings a fundamental expression of human life into the spotlight: the couple. Drawing on decades of psychological research, training, and clinical practice, she provides insight into the workings of this unique bond and sheds light into questions relevant to all:

• What makes romantic relationships so important, powerful, special, or painful to those who experience them?
• How come we feel trapped in them so often, and why do attempts at communication fail so frequently?
• How can we preserve our bonds while pushing one another to become the best versions of ourselves?
• How do external factors, third parties-and the world in general-impact couples, and in what ways the human society may be defined by our most intimate relationships?

You will find an abundance of insight on such questions in these pages.

This book will not only change the way you view couples but will transform and enhance your understanding of all human relationships.

"A decisive step forward in the work of relational therapists, Doumpioti shifts the discourse of intimate relationships to the WE, the couple as an entity in itself, endowed with its own voice and special ability to influence every life that it touches."--Luigi Cancrini, M.D, Professor of Psychiatry, La Sapienza, Rome.

"A true page turner that will make you understand relationships from a whole new perspective and take them to the next level. A book you'll find yourself referring back to again and again." --Nina Frerich, PhD, Clinical Psychologist

"Using a simple yet powerful conceptual framework, Doumpioti reconciles classic and modern theories. A fascinating and inspiring book." --Elena Galatsopoulou, PhD, Couple and Family Therapist