Psychotherapist Esther Perel explores the tension between the need for security (love, belonging and closeness) and the need for freedom (erotic desire, adventure and distance) in human relationships. She hosts a wide variety of workshops and training sessions each month, both for clients and other therapists.
About Esther Perel
Esther Perel argues that, due to trends such as the secularization of Western society, the rise of individualism, and the societal "mandate" for personal happiness, the expectations for romantic relationships are higher than they ever were in human history.
She also notes the ideals of modern marriage can be contradictory: "We want our chosen one to offer stability, safety, predictability, and dependability—all the anchoring experiences. And we want that very same person to supply awe, mystery, adventure, and risk." Perel calls for a more open and honest discussion of monogamy to reconcile this conflict between the erotic and the domestic.