This book is divided into the following five sections: Codependency, Addictions, Eating Disorders, Personality Disorders, Recovery. To explain them and the negative effects they have on our lives, the author shares interesting stories about her life and what she did to help her to stop complaining and start celebrating.
Freud said, "Buried pain does not decompose." Knowing this helps us to understand why we who grew up in troubled families are the ones most at risk to have difficulty with our adult relationships.
"Beyond Reason: How To Deal With Difficult Loved Ones" explains the role our subconscious mind plays in our mate selection, causes of addictions, eating disorders and personality disorders and most importantly what we can do to improve ourselves and our relationships.
Deborah's work as a psychotherapist for the past thirty plus years persuaded her to write this book. By listening to her clients, she learned that many of them did not know that they were assuming that the difficult people in their lives were as reasonable and eager to please as they themselves were. Instead of assertively telling them how they felt and asking for what they want, they mistakenly believed that a logical explanation would take care of their relationship difficulties. Consequently, they did not learn the effectiveness of being assertive and setting appropriate boundaries.