IS IT LOVE OR IS IT ADDICTION?

Relationships that continue despite pain, emotional chaos, and disruptive impulsivity are addictive, says Brenda Schaeffer, a psychotherapist who knows her stuff and provides an excellent primer on the subject of love and love addiction. Especially if there is past loss or trauma, the resulting pain can make us uncontrollably attached to anyone who soothes that pain, even when this creates many other problems. Healthy love helps us expand ourselves and learn higher growth processes; the addictive attachment only distracts, stagnates, and frustrates personal development. The program is articulate and insightful, at times esoteric, but very comprehensible, even when the reader's dramatic inclination makes her seem disconnected from the material. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 01]