Before Intimacy

Daniel Juan Gil examines sixteenth-century English literary concepts of sexuality that frame erotic ties as neither bound by social customs nor transgressive of them, but rather as OC loopholesOCO in people's associations. Engaging Sidney's Astrophil and Stella, Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and Shakespeare's Sonnets, among others Gil demonstrates how sexuality was conceived as a relationship system not institutionalized in a domestic realm."

"Sheila speaks to both the heart and habits of the woman who is wife and mother. The lessons in this book are biblical, doable, and affordable!"--Margaret B. Buchanan From advertisements to mommy blogs to Pinterest, scenes of domestic bliss abound, painting a picture of perfection and expectation nearly impossible to live up to. Why can't you work a full-time job, stylishly clothe yourself and your children, plan a party for twelve with handmade decorations, keep your house sparkling clean without chemicals, and bake a gourmet meal in the same day? Everyone else is doing it! For many women, housework has become more than chores that need to be done; it is a symbol of identity. Sheila Wray Gregoire wants to stop that thinking in its tracks and help women back to a life of balance--for their sakes and for their families. She encourages women to shift their focus from housekeeping to relationships and shows them how to foster responsibility and respect in all family members. The second edition retains the helpful, concrete advice on everyday situations such as strategies for tackling chores and budgets and tips on effective communication, while incorporating the wisdom Sheila has gained through her interaction with thousands of readers of her blog and through her speaking ministry over the past ten years. Through the principles in To Love, Honor, and Vacuum, Gregoire promises readers they can grow and thrive in the midst of their hectic lives--even if their circumstances stay the same.

What did sex mean for ordinary people before the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, who were often pitied by later generations as repressed, unfulfilled and full of moral anxiety? This book provides the first rounded, first-hand account of sexuality in marriage in the early and mid-twentieth century. These award-winning authors look beyond conventions of silence among the respectable majority to challenge stereotypes of ignorance and inhibition. Based on vivid, compelling and frank testimonies from a socially and geographically diverse range of individuals, the book explores a spectrum of sexual experiences, from learning about sex and sexual practices in courtship, to attitudes to the body, marital ideals and birth control. It demonstrates that while the era's emphasis on silence and strict moral codes could for some be a source of inhibition and dissatisfaction, for many the culture of privacy and innocence was central to fulfilling and pleasurable intimate lives.

Grounded in the cognitive-behavioral approach, The Dilemmas of Intimacy focuses exclusively on understanding, assessing, and treating common problems with intimacy. Intimacy offers both risks and rewards, which create three dilemmas that every couple must negotiate: joy vs. protection from hurt, I vs. we, and past vs. present. These dilemmas offer readers a window into the treatment of intimacy problems, and help them to structure formulations, treatment goals, and therapeutic strategies. Unique to this book is the author’s “Intimacy Signature,” which is a comprehensive system for assessing couples’ intimacy issues, and offers a four-step formula for translating assessment data into therapeutic strategies. Along with the book, readers will have access to a web resource page that includes the Intimacy Signature assessment: therapist worksheets (that help match presenting problems to probable intimacy dilemmas), checklists of strengths and areas of vulnerability to assist the clinician in making a prognosis, a client take-home packet, and therapist tools for intervention (including therapist-client dialogues).

Supporting Staged Intimacy: A Practical Guide for Theatre Creatives, Managers, and Crew examines the relationship between staged intimacy, intimacy direction, and those supporting the process during pre-production, rehearsal, and performance. First, this book addresses challenges and trends in staging intimacy, helping backstage and offstage theatre artists recognize the problematic approaches and culture that led to the emerging field of intimacy direction. This text will then provide tools and recommended practices for supporting the creation and maintaining of staged intimacy, enabling team members to enact contemporary protocols concerning advocacy and agency. Finally, this book will educate and empower readers with the necessary skills to prompt change; by providing modern techniques, essential workplace protocols, and achievable action items, this book will transform the way theatre designers, managers, crew, and other creative team members engage with theatrical consent. Supporting Staged Intimacy is written for every pre-professional and professional artist working behind the scenes who wish to better support consensual workplaces, physically intimate stories, and the individuals telling those stories.

This handbook brings together the latest thinking on the scientific study of closeness and intimacy from some of the most active and widely recognized relationship scholars in social and clinical psychology, communication studies, and related disciplines. Each contributing author defines their understanding of the meaning of closeness and intimacy; summarizes existing research and provides an overview of a theoretical framework; presents new ideas, applications, and previously unstated theoretical connections; and provides cross-references to other chapters to further integrate the material. The Handbook of Closeness and Intimacy will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and students from social, clinical, and developmental psychology; family studies; counseling; and communication.

INTIMACY is about the greatest love story ever told, a true love story, one of mystery and intrigue from another world, dramatically affecting the very reality you and I currently experience on Earth in everyday life. It is a spiritual adventure of unimaginable splendor and grandness, bringing lasting, miraculous change to all life on the planet. A divine love story, as revealed by the Creator of all existence, born of heaven and poured out for all humanity to receive freely, yet given at great price. The greatest love imaginable experienced through the willing surrender of its Creators life for you, that all of mankind may live in intimate relationship with God, from the present to eternity. Intimacy takes you on a supernatural journey from heaven to Earth and back again, only to supernaturally return to Earth a very different world. Heaven on Earth for one thousand years, the millennium, far greater than the garden of Eden, growing into the ultimate miraculous grand finale. Discover the true meaning of intimacy and relationship with Almighty God, His original purpose for creating intimacy and mankind, the meaning of life on Earth, where it all leads and why. The mysteries of life revealed by God Himself, in preparation for our comprehension of Gods divine window to the future. A future consumed and embraced by the greatest love gift imaginable as the millennium comes to an end, where eternity begins. True intimacy with God on a supernatural spiritual adventure of exploration. Astounding, truly stunning on a grand God scale, Gods love gift to His children that grows and lasts forever! As you read Intimacy, you will experience the end from the beginning, the beginning from the end, revelation of divine design and purpose, all in preparation to accept and flourish in your never-ending, intimate love gifteternity!

Why do so many people have problems with love and intimacy? Why do some parents scapegoat their children? What is Parental Alienation Syndrome? What is the MMPI? Why must we grieve loss? This title presents a model of love relations by integrating evolutionary psychology, psychoanalysis, cognitive and social psychology.