Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love

Sue Johnson, EdD

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Alice says:

Anyone who wants to better understand their relationships, especially romantic relationships, would benefit from this book. It’s especially helpful for people who find themselves having the same arguments over and over, struggle to feel emotionally connected to their partner, or want to improve communication and intimacy. You don’t have to be in crisis to get something meaningful from it.

It helps people understand that conflict in relationships is often less about “who’s right” and more about unmet emotional needs and disconnection. The book offers a compassionate, research-based framework that helps people feel less alone and more hopeful about creating secure, healthy relationships.

I really appreciate how accessible and relatable it is. The author combines real-life examples, practical exercises, and psychological insight in a way that feels easy to apply to everyday relationships. I also like that the book encourages vulnerability and emotional honesty without judgment.

From the Publisher

Strengthen and deepen your relationships with revelatory practical exercises, seven profound conversations, and sage advice from “the best couple’s therapist in the world” (John Gottman, PhD, bestselling author)

Are you looking to enrich a healthy relationship, revitalize a tired one, or rescue one gone awry? We all want a lifetime of love, support, and companionship. But sometimes we need a little help.

Enter Dr. Sue Johnson, developer of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and “the most original contributor to couple’s therapy to come along in the last thirty years,” according to Dr. William J. Doherty, PhD. In Hold Me Tight, Dr. Johnson shares her groundbreaking and remarkably successful program for creating stronger, more secure relationships.

The message of Hold Me Tight is simple: Forget about learning how to argue better, analyzing your early childhood, making grand romantic gestures, or experimenting with new sexual positions. Instead, get to the emotional underpinnings of your relationship by recognizing that you are emotionally attached to and dependent on your partner in much the same way that a child is on a parent for nurturing, soothing, and protection. Dr. Johnson teaches that the way to enhance or save a relationship is to be open, attuned, and responsive to each other and to reestablish emotional connection. With this in mind, she focuses on key moments in a relationship and uses them as touch points for seven healing conversations, including:

• Recognizing the Demon Dialogues
• Finding the Raw Spots
• Revisiting a Rocky Moment
• Forgiving Injuries
• Keeping Your Love Alive

These conversations give you insight into the defining moments in your relationship and guide you in reshaping these moments to create a secure and lasting bond.

Through stories from Dr. Johnson’s practice, illuminating advice, and practical exercises, you will learn how to nurture, protect, and grow your relationship, ensuring a lifetime of love.

About the Author

Dr. Sue Johnson, a recipient of the Order of Canada, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of couple interventions. A clinical psychologist and Distinguished Research Professor at Alliant International University in San Diego and a professor at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Johnson is the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and has trained thousands of therapists in North America and around the world. She is the author of numerous articles and books, including Love Sense and Created for Connection.

About Alice Davies

Alice is a psychotherapist based in Chicago Illinois.  She works with individuals, couples, and diverse relationship structures navigating dating, relationship conflict, breakups, attachment differences, communication struggles, financial stress, and questions about how to build healthier, more fulfilling connections. She uses a warm, collaborative, and practical approach grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) to help clients better understand relationship patterns, improve communication, and create meaningful change. Alice strives to create a space where clients feel understood, supported, and empowered to move forward with greater clarity and confidence.