When the Past Is Present

In this book, psychotherapist David Richo explores our tendency to transfer potent feelings about people from the past onto the people in our lives, whether they are our intimate partners, coworkers, or friends. This can become a major stumbling block in relationships, preventing us from seeing others as they really are. Richo offers valuable insights and practical guidance on how to recognize and free ourselves from this destructive pattern.

When the Past Is Present helps readers to:

Understand how the wounds of childhood become exposed in adult relationships—and why this is a gift

Recognize strong attractions and aversions to people in the present as signals that we may be reliving the past

Heal emotional wounds of the past so that they won’t sabotage present-day relationships

Use mindfulness to become aware of how we slip into the past in day-to-day life—and to bring us back to the present moment