Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After

Marriage and family therapist Thomas (Calling in “The One”) sets out to empower recently separated couples with a program designed to bring “dignity, goodness, and honor” to the end of a relationship. After making suggestions for salvaging the relationship via counseling and communication, Thomas outlines the five steps of conscious uncoupling, which include “find[ing] emotional freedom,” “reclaim[ing] your power and your life,” “break[ing] the pattern,” “becom[ing] a love alchemist,” and “creat[ing] your happily-even-after-life.” Thomas uses her own experiences as points of instruction, sharing her inability to let go of an old flame and the struggles she’s faced in her own divorce. She also provides validating scholarship, citing studies that show the brain reacts to bad breakups in the same way as to the death of loved ones. The practical challenges of a relationship’s end are outlined, including harmonious co-parenting and equitable financial divisions. Thomas proves herself compassionate and emotionally in-tune with the pain of love lost, and her guidance will likely usher many of those afflicted to a brighter, or at least less bitter, future. Agent: Bonnie Solow, Solow Literary Enterprises, Inc. (Sept.)