Each of us has a dual nature: we are light (conscious) and dark (unconscious). The dark side of our personality - the “other,” the shadow side - is made up of what we think is our primitive, primal, negative impulses - our “existential kink.” Our existential kink also drives the dark or negative repeating patterns in our life: always choosing the abusive partner or boss, settling for less, thinking that we’re undeserving, not worthy. But it also is the source of our greatest power.

Do you have the relationship and marriage you’ve always dreamed of? Have you built the perfect relationship, or are you sleeping and living with a stranger? You can rebuild the foundation of your essential relationship skills and live in harmony with your partner if you make changes now and learn how to have a marriage of love.

Masochism is sexy, human, reviled, worshipped, and can be delightfully bizarre. Deliberate and consensual pain has been with us for millennia, encompassing everyone from Black Plague flagellants to ballerinas dancing on broken bones to competitive eaters choking down hot peppers while they cry. Masochism is a part of us. It lives inside workaholics, tattoo enthusiasts, and all manner of garden variety pain-seekers.

Imagine a world where the usual power dynamic is turned on its head. Where women not only stop apologizing, but seize - and enjoy - control. This is the quickly-mainstreaming world of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) - and it has a lot to teach women about empowerment, negotiation, open-mindedness, and more. Popular podcaster and personal finance expert Lindsay Goldwert has traveled across the United States to meet the stars of the subculture. In Bow Down, these Alpha women show how you can reset the power dynamic in any situation to get what you want.

Polyamorous psychotherapist Jessica Fern breaks new ground by extending attachment theory into the realm of consensual nonmonogamy. Using her nested model of attachment and trauma, she expands our understanding of how emotional experiences can influence our relationships. Then, she sets out six specific strategies to help you move toward secure attachments in your multiple relationships.

Are you too nice? If you find it hard to be assertive, directly ask for what you want, or say "no" to others, then you just might be suffering from too much niceness. In this controversial book, world-renowned confidence expert, Dr. Aziz Gazipura, takes an incisive look at the concept of nice. Through his typical style, Dr. Aziz uses engaging stories, humor, and disarming vulnerability to cut through the nice conditioning and liberate the most bold, expressive, authentic version of you.

Men who want to live with more power, groundedness, and clarity. Men who want to inspire more trust, lust, and devotion from their partner. But this is confusing territory. The modern world tells you that Masculine energy is toxic. And that we’re all the same. That you need to be a Nice Guy that plays it safe. For most men, it is not at all clear HOW to live more from their Masculine core.

Challenging accepted theories about what makes for terrific sex, The Erotic Mind is a breakthrough exploration of the least understood dimensions of human sexuality - the psychology of desire, arousal, and fulfillment. Sex therapist Dr. Jack Morin offers a new perspective that celebrates the joys of Eros without denying its risks. Based on an in-depth analysis of over 1,000 provocative stories of peak sexual experiences, The Erotic Mind offers clear, accessible guidance on how anyone can utilize their own peak encounters and fantasies as powerful tools of self-discovery.

Jessa Zimmerman takes on the heart-wrenching questions that naturally arise when couples are struggling with sex. Once sex becomes synonymous with disappointment, avoidance sets in and creates pressure in the bedroom. In this straightforward and practical book, Zimmerman guides us to understand the cycle that develops when sex is difficult, to shift our mindset when it comes to sexual intimacy, and to transform our sexual experience with our partner using a nine-phase experiential process.

Have you felt 'left out' of the traditional relationship self-help books because you derive great pleasure from following your partner's requests and direction on many things in your life? Are your friends and family having difficulty understanding that your relationship works more like a captain and first mate on a boat? If so, this innovative audiobook, Leading and Supportive Love: The Truth About Dominant and Submissive Relationships, can help with new and clearer understanding of yourself, your relationship and acceptance with those that you love and care for.

You deserve to have a relationship that meets your needs, helps you to grow, and forms a solid foundation for everything else in your life. If our relationships are unstable, we will struggle with many other areas in our lives. If, up until this point, you have struggled through the rocky terrain of relationships not knowing how to fix the problems you encounter, you might appreciate a map to show you the way.

These are just some words used to describe the reality of dating after divorce. Like all major life changes, going through a divorce can be a very stressful time. No matter how long you were married, the act of parting from the person in life you may have been closest to can be jarring, challenging, and heartbreaking. The emotional exhaustion, the fear of failure, and that nagging feeling that maybe you're just meant to be alone can all make dating seem like a chore or something you don't want to do.

An intelligent and comprehensive guide to polyamory, open relationships, and other forms of alternative love, The Smart Girl's Guide to Polyamory offers relationship advice radically different from anything you'll find on the magazine rack. This practical guidebook will help women break free of the mold of traditional monogamy, without the constraints of jealousy, possessiveness, insecurity, and competition. If you're curious about exploring group sex, opening up your current monogamous relationship, or ready to "come out" as polyamorous, this book covers it all.

The number one thing men secretly desire of women, yet typically won’t admit it. Are you the one who likes to be in control, especially when it comes to making decisions for you and your partner? Because women are quickly becoming more and more aware of the influence they can have on the world and thus breaking out of their shells, female led relationships are becoming increasingly popular in today’s modern times, and for a good reason.

Ever since he came out as autistic, Joe Biel has been contacted by people wanting to share their stories and ask questions. The most common question by far is: How do I find a romantic partner? Autistic listeners will find valuable answers and perspectives in this book, whether they are just getting ready to jump into dating, are seeking to forge closer friendships, or are looking to improve an existing partnership or marriage.

Sexual Intimacy for Women helps female couples examine the emotional, physical, and psychological aspects of their relationships, with the goal of creating more intimacy. Exercises and client-based anecdotes from Dr. Corwin’s years of experience with same-sex couples help women overcome common issues around orgasm, body image, identity, aging, and parenthood. Dr. Corwin dispels myths, examines the intricacies of female desire, and gives advice to help couples achieve long-lasting, healthy, and fulfilling relationships.

Enjoyable, exciting sex is possible after sex addiction. As a sex, marriage, and family therapist, Alexandra Katehakis introduces a successful program for sufferers and their loved ones that will help them hone their erotic intelligence by making sense of the past, creating healthy habits in the present, and looking toward a more intimate relationship that nurtures honesty and closeness. With Katehakis's help, sex addicts can get in touch with their healthy sexual side and embrace true intimacy and acceptance in themselves and in their mates.

Elizabeth Earnshaw is here to help. The renowned Gottman therapist, founder of A Better Life Therapy, and influential Instagram therapist behind @lizlistens has helped to transform countless relationships. With I Want This to Work, she presents for today’s generation the most effective and proven steps for relationship success.

In this supportive and straightforward guide, Lundy Bancroft, the author of Why Does He Do That?, and communication specialist JAC Patrissi offer a way for women to practically take stock of their relationships and move forward, with or without their partners.

Men are right. The "relationship talk" does not help. Dr. Patricia Love’s and Dr. Steven Stosny’s How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It reveals the stunning truth about marital happiness: Love is not about better communication. It's about connection.

For much of the 20th and 21st centuries, women’s sexuality was an uncharted territory in science, studied far less frequently - and far less seriously - than its male counterpart. That is, until Emily Nagoski’s Come As You Are, which used groundbreaking science and research to prove that the most important factor in creating and sustaining a sex life filled with confidence and joy is not what the parts are or how they’re organized but how you feel about them.

Once upon a time, Martians and Venusians functioned in separate worlds. But in today's hectic and career-oriented environment, relationships have become a lot more complicated, and men and women are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress. To add to the increasing tension, most men and women are also completely unaware that they are actually hardwired to react differently to the stress.

In I Love You, but I'm Not in Love with You - a real-life relationship guide from couples' counselor Andrew G. Marshall - partners and individuals who have "fallen out of love" or want to rekindle the love that once was will learn how to use Marshall 's program with impressive results. This is a much-needed book to help men and women of all ages in any type of committed romantic relationship to truly understand love and to point out the everyday habits that undermine growing together.

Blindsided by a breakup, and asking herself the usual why, how, what questions, Tatiana Jerome went online. She used social media as a way to uplift and empower herself by venting but also working through her own part in the relationship's demise. Her posts struck a chord with thousands and then hundreds of thousands of readers - no surprise since most relationships (approximately 85 percent) end.

Superheroes don't start from glorious beginnings. Their origins are almost always marked by traumatic events that leave them helpless and scared. Batman witnessed his parents' murder. Superman was sent away from his dying planet with no one to guide him as he grew up. Orphaned Catwoman was forced to steal food to survive on the streets of Gotham. What makes these superheroes super is their determination to not be defined by helplessness. They embrace their origins, their flaws, and their mistakes and strive every day to become the best versions of themselves.

The Heart of Dominance is a how-to guide to the concepts and skills at the heart of consensual dominance. If you are new to dominance or still figuring out just what it’s all about and what you want it to mean to you, then this book will provide you with a solid foundation from which to start. If you already practice dominance and are interested in improving your ability to create deep and lasting power dynamics, then you’ll find many advanced concepts and concrete techniques to integrate into your own personal style.

Previous editions of The Loving Dominant taught more than 40,000 people the fundamentals of safe, affectionate dominance and submission. Now, John and Libby Warren, two of the scene's most respected educators, have updated this seminal work for a new generation of practitioners. Includes an all-new chapter on partner-finding, plus new information on electricity play, ethical play with multiple partners, water sports, kinky digital photography, and more!

Two decades ago, this book (and its companion volume, The New Bottoming Book) began teaching tens of thousands of people the joyous arts of BDSM topping and bottoming - not just "how-to," but "why-to"...the insider details of emotional support and ethical interaction during kinky play. Since then, the growing popularity of BDSM, and the blossoming of the Internet as a source of information and connection, have created a whole new universe of possibilities for players.

Dom's Guide to Submissive Training was specifically written for doms/masters. It is designed to provide you with a step-by-step blueprint on how to train your new sub. It goes from preparation all the way down to the closing ceremony, including advanced techniques and tips.

Some of us have had a moment in the middle of fun and sexual exploration that lead to connecting with the divine or having an epiphany about life that was far from expected. Others have been drawn to the possibilities of finding universal truths between the sheets or in the dungeon for all of their lives.

It goes by many names: bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and more. In Jay Wiseman's SM 101, the long-taboo subject of consensual sadomasochism is accurately, insightfully presented in the context of adult human sexuality, experience, and tradition for the interested non-specialist general listener.

The Ultimate Guide to Kink is the first major guide to BDSM in a generation - a bold and sexy collection of essays that run the gamut from expert how-to tutorials to provocative essays that delve into complex questions about desire, power, and pleasure. The book brings together diverse voices from the kink community in an unprecedented way: each chapter is written by a different sexuality/BDSM educator.

This fascinating volume investigates how the concept of soul is connected to BDSM and kink, exploring the world of alternative sexualities through the psychology of C. G. Jung and James Hillman as listeners are guided on a provocative, lively journey through darker aspects of the sexual imagination.

Masochism is sexy, human, reviled, worshipped, and can be delightfully bizarre. Deliberate and consensual pain has been with us for millennia, encompassing everyone from Black Plague flagellants to ballerinas dancing on broken bones to competitive eaters choking down hot peppers while they cry. Masochism is a part of us. It lives inside workaholics, tattoo enthusiasts, and all manner of garden variety pain-seekers.

Do you want to stay in the same vanilla sex routine forever? Or are you ready to bring more pleasure and excitement to your sex life starting today? BDSM is much broader than it seems and when done correctly, is completely safe and healthy. BDSM is a journey that can be truly rewarding every time but will take effort, patience, and self-examination. If you want to begin your journey then this is where you start.

In 1994, The Mistress Manual was born as a simple pink guidebook self-published by an experienced dominant woman. She moved on to other efforts, and the book fell out of print - much to the disappointment of thousands of eager submissive men and dominant women. Now, the classic is available once more, in an updated new edition.

Almost a decade ago, the first Bottoming Book taught tens of thousands of people that bottoming - being a submissive, masochist, slave, "boy" or "girl", or other BDSM recipient - is as much an art as topping. Since then, the growing popularity of BDSM, and the blossoming of the Internet as a source of information and connection, have created a whole new universe of possibilities for players.

What is "Female Leadership?" It's accepting that "She knows best" in all matters. From the finances to the household to how things get done. It's trusting in her judgement to run things. This doesn't make the man weak, just the opposite, because men are the best at "getting things done."

Submissive women have needs just like anybody else. But how can a woman get her needs met when she's relinquished her power to her dominant partner? With warmth, wisdom, and a down-to-earth approach, experienced submissive Kacie Cunningham analyzes the realities of the dominant-submissive lifestyle and suggests ways in which both partners can experience the greatest possible growth and pleasure.

From childhood onwards, females are encouraged into subservient roles, so that taking the lead can feel strange and unnatural, even "unfeminine" and "not nice". We are discouraged from aggressively grabbing what we want, and instead encouraged to sacrifice and nurture. We are taught to be prizes, not competitors. Surely, there has to be more to life than that. Many men - the ones who value assertiveness (and even a little cruelty) in their female lovers would agree. So would many women....