Post-Romantic Stress Disorder: What to Do When the Honeymoon Is Over

This is the last book from a man who almost single handedly changed the entire direction of modern therapy and self help regarding addiction and healing from emotional trauma, starting with his 1988 book Bradshaw On: The Family and ending with this book, published in 2014, PRSD What to Do when the Honeymoon is Over. I happened to purchase the audio version of this book and I can tell you it is read by Joe Barrett who does a fantastic job of narrating/reading the text but who also happens to sound an awful lot like John Bradshaw himself!Each new book John Bradshaw wrote usually included brand new information on his opinion and experience with a subject but also a refresher on how the new focus he was writing about was related to the books he had already written. For PRSD Bradshaw did reference back to many of his own previous works, explaining how certain kinds of emotional and spiritual work on the self is crucial for a person to be strong enough to stay happily married to another but even more than that he refers to many other authors who shaped his opinion and helped him reflect and organize his vast experience from his over 20 years of counseling during which time he estimated he saw over 700 couples as clients. His large body, therefore, of marriage counseling is blended beautifully in this book with new discoveries in brain and body chemistry as well as other author's take on the topics of love vs lust vs deep attachment to one person vs all others.I cannot say enough about this book and found it a wonderful tribute to Bradshaw's already demonstrated ability to synthesize and teach about the best of both his own experience but also the work and experience of other experts in the field of human spiritual and emotional healing. Bradshaw died barely 1 year past when this book was published and so PRSD is his last message to readers about human behavior, hope, and healing. He makes the point early on in the book that the desire to find one person with which to bond romantically and emotionally is the number one lifetime desire of people worldwide. Based on that commonality, he goes forward to make many interesting and important points about successful marriages vs those that end in divorce. And that ratio of those who stay happily married vs those who divorce highlights his biggest message of hope in this book; that a majority of those who think that they must divorce are mistaken and that their difficulties can indeed be solved, often by marriage counseling, including the most frequent and confusing experience early married couples eventually almost always experience - a discrepancy of sexual desire towards each other. This occurs when what Bradshaw explains is the "DEA Dopamine Cocktail", the mixture of powerful biological feel good chemicals provided by Mother Nature for those in love, wears off some and/or is reduced after the first 12=18 mos of being together exclusively.I could go on! The book is wonderful and a great final note in the career of a man I was lucky enough to meet and speak with if only briefly at 3 of his workshops. All his books and recorded talks are wonderful but this book is a fitting finish to his ability to teach what is hard to understand. Human happiness and love. Thank you John!

All Bradshaw's books are excellent. His work in the 90's was considered pop psychology which never did it justice. Now it's mainstream. He brought to our attention and understanding family of origin (FOO) core wounding, and ways to heal this pain that keeps on giving, not only individually but intergenerationally. He's gone too soon, but has left us substantial insights to heal ourselves. "Post Romantic Stress Disorder" is a must read if you're conditioned into the cultural myth of romantic love, and instead are seeking authentic love. I remember one workshop of his I attended he stated that hormones are God's great trick to get us together, but then what of the stirring the oatmeal time? We have a choice to keep repeating the same behaviors moving in and out of romantic love with same person, different body, eventually burning ourselves up or out or getting realistic about what drives our impulses. This book will answer just that.

Reading this book is Helping me through the PRSD right now as we speak. The honeymoon in love phase is clearly over and the work has begun. I feel that this book helps me understand that what I'm feeling as my relationship with the man of my dreams evolves. I feel understood and knowing that what I'm going through is very common and expected in healthy relationships is comforting in itself. I've found that my closest relationships force me to come to terms with myself. It is a tool to know myself better and perhaps that is the greatest gift that close relationships have to offer.

This is very useful in my counseling practice and to loan to clients. It provides a lot of insights into the evolution of a relationship.

I loved it. My clients love it. He "gets you" and doesn't sound smug about it. Easy to listen to and not feel self conscious about yourself.

It is "Eye opening" book. After that knowledge nobody will look at the relationship the same way. It is making you more concious, and aware. Huge step for self improvement.

Made sense of things that intuitively I knew to be true. Good book to explain what happens as relationships mature.

Excellent presentation of brain chemistry involved in romance and in the end of romance, with the promise of better days ahead. Dr. Bradshaw's clarity is a a gift to anyone hoping to understand this very human experience.

Very informative, was recommended to me by a nurse and I would recommend to anyone who wants a clearer picture how our brain chemistry has an effect on our relationships

Bought as a gift for a close friend having a tough time. Great insight for her before starting therapy.

A great book

Very nice read. Should be mandatory for anyone wanting to stick it out in the long run. I wish the last part (what can you do to get rid of that disorder) had been more developed. Is therapy the only way to save your couple? Seems like it....

Great book to read. Multiply readings are recommended to help fully understand all the scientific findings and explanations.Great insight into our human behavior.Super stuff for starting discussions. ....With friends ..partners and soulmates.Strongly recommended for young couplesto help avoid may difficult preventable situations.