• Ep. 1: I've Had Better

  • By: Esther Perel
  • Narrated by: Esther Perel
  • Length: 47 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (6,684 ratings)
Ep. 1: I've Had Better  By  cover art

Ep. 1: I've Had Better

By: Esther Perel
Narrated by: Esther Perel

Publisher's summary

[Contains mature themes] He reached out because a year after the discovery of his affair, they aren’t fighting anymore, but they certainly haven’t moved on. Esther guides them towards a more honest conversation, and a revelation about their communication.

Step into the office of renowned relationship therapist and TED Talk sensation Esther Perel, and listen in as she counsels couples in crisis due to infidelity, sexlessness, loss, and disconnection. The result? Astonishing insights on how they can make love work – and takeaways for you on ways to repair and restore your own relationships.

About Esther:

Esther Perel is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and provocative voices on personal and professional relationships. A celebrated psychotherapist who has helmed a private practice in New York City since 1983, she has over three decades of experience navigating the intricacies of love and desire.

A Note from Esther:

Too often couples live like isolated islands. We think what we’re experiencing in our own relationship is unique to us, and we don’t know that our neighbors and friends are experiencing the same longings, laments, deprivations, and disillusionments in their own lives.

There is no school for relationships, no place for us to learn the tools for rebuilding and repair, to learn to straddle the many contradictions that roil in all of us. Where Should We Begin? Is a way for me to create meaningful, deep, and open conversations. As you listen to these intimate, unscripted sessions between real-life couples, I think you will find the language you’ve been looking for to have conversations with the people in your own life.

©2017 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2017 Audible Originals, LLC

What listeners say about Ep. 1: I've Had Better

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Response to the bitter comments...

Any additional comments?

I have to be honest, many of the comments on here are really frustrating. These are two people who wish to repair their marriage. They aren't there to play a game of who gets the blame. The counselor is not there to tell either party that they did something wrong in the past, she is there to help them be able to communicate honestly and to help them each be receptive to that honesty. When the husband tells how he was feeling, the wife constantly wants to argue against that as if his feeling aren't valid. The point the counselor is making is that he had those feelings and they were real. She isn't telling the woman that she was at fault nor is she taking "the husband's side", she is simply saying that the wife needs to listen without immediate judgement. The wife if very defensive and that is totally understandable, but the counselor's job is to help her be less defensive so that they can communicate openly and in a safe place. If the wife never truly forgives her husband than they will never move past their problems. Once she is able to forgive and let her guard down, then they can work on building something worth saving. BOTH PARTIES in this episode were responsible for not communicating, despite that the man did something completely stupid as a result of it. The counselor has to fix the communication problem first!

As a side note about her being like a dead person: sometimes feelings aren't kind or pleasant and sometimes they are downright rude and inappropriate. But, it seems like many of the listeners wanted the counselor to scold him for that comment. Although maybe not pleasant, he was trying to convey that he didn't want it to be another chore for her. That is a big problem in many relationships, he should have said it a LONG time ago rather than cheating. Then, she could have said how she felt, etc. Relationships take work and HONESTY.

I am 32 years old and I have been with my husband for 12 years. I can tell you that the biggest reason why we work is because we are honest despite how that honesty will make the other feel at that moment. I love that we have that because, if we didn't, who knows where we would be. We definitely aren't perfect people, but our willingness to communicate when something doesn't feel right makes us happy in our relationship 99% of the time. We both feel heard and we both make an effort to make adjustments when we need to. If you don't grow together you will grow apart and that is what happened with these two people, but they can recover it if the learn how to.

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Omg!

I am so shocked that this therapist is continually giving the woman the short end of the stick in this discussion. One year is not demarcation that suddenly the wife should be over the the affair. Ugh, I'm so annoyed

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She's kidding, right?

Any additional comments?

The guy says, "Well, we were kind of in the same place, the only difference is I acted on it."

Wait, what?

Simply can't believe the counselor let him get away with that comment.

On top of which he said he'd been unfaithful to other women several times before.

The woman seems to be OK with the way their relationship is now.

Why push her to let that scumbag in again?

I won't be listening to any more of this.

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Stuck on this from the first episode.

I have listened to Esther Perel before and I really like her. She is so good at really getting to the heart of communication and the problems with communication. This episode is a couple in the extremes. I mean, personally, I think she's done. And, I completely get it. Relationships can be hard. It's not all smiles and roses. So, when one uses that as an excuse to bail and leave the other in the trenches alone because life got real, well,that's hard to come back from. BUT, to not judge the actual couple and their situation. If you can strip away all that, and focus on where these people aren't communicating or hearing each other and how well Perel points it out. It is so good. At the heart of most conflicts and misunderstandings, someone is usually not really hearing the meaning behind someone else's words. Or, someone isn't saying what they should. And, then feelings get acted upon and someone gets blindsided. I realized during my masters program with all of the counseling hours that are required, that I'd been mediating conflict all of my life. And, I knew I didn't want to do it as a career. To create the mental space for others to explore, understand, etc, their emotions is not an easy job, even if you're good at it. And, this in particular is where I think even a lot of therapists fail. Helping someone work through addiction, a painful past, etc, is very hard, but very different. There is a specific outcome you are guiding towards. However, with relationships, good therapy has to give each person enough space to determine what that outcome will eventually be. Those emotions have to be worked through before knowing what the outcome will be in many cases. And, I think Perel deals with that very well. Much better and fascinating being an observer than the actual therapist.

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This was the longest 46-min. listen of my life!

What disappointed you about Ep. 1: I've Had Better?

I found it difficult to have any sympathy for the cheating husband what so ever. He seemed very much okay with leaving all the heavy lifting parenting of their 3 kids to his stay-at-home wife. And then he had the nerve to be freaking surprised when they had perfunctory sex. Maybe if he'd been more involved with his kids, she would have had more energy than to just lie there like a dead fish. His straying because his wife wasn't giving him enough attention was classic, lame and anger inducing. This is the 21st century and relationship help is accessible and readily available. He should've made use of that. Yes, the wife was guilty of not vocalizing more that she was also dissatisfied with their sex life, too. But any partner in a committed relationship should offer to get counseling BEFORE deciding to cheat. At the very least, as the potential cheater, he could've asked for a separation so his wife would've been alerted that all was not right in Denmark.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I may try one of the other topics and try to avoid any more cheating ones. Cheating is a real life trigger for me as a victim of it. I'm one of those kids who was impacted by it greatly, so I never can take in this topic lightly.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Esther was good at being neutral and getting the couple to actually TALK about what each was feeling before, during and after the cheating ended. They were able to see their issues in a more objective manner thanks to her.

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You can get over an affair in less than an hour!

This basically just shows that women need to be more attentive to husband's needs and fake orgasms to keep him happy. He isn't sorry he did it. He just shows remorse his wife isn't what he wants.

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Terrific series

This is what couples need to hear! Enjoyed it, even though it hits a little close to home.

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Vicarious Relationship Counseling

Would you listen to Ep. 1: I've Had Better again? Why?

I would listen to this again simply because there are nuances to the problem-solving that Esther makes that you will only catch the 2nd, the 3rd, the 4th, or the 5th time. There's always a chance to learn and grow in a relationship. Because there are different seasons to when a certain piece of advice pertains to you or someone else.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ep. 1: I've Had Better?

I honestly enjoyed listening to Esther's commentary. Particularly on how she felt she gained the trust of the wife in order to better provide counsel that would be well received. It was a surprising turn, but her input on how the turn happened was very very interesting.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Ep. 1: I've Had Better?

Definitely on how to better receive what is being given. How to be mindful of that. And also, to be aware of the changes in myself that I choose to make as a result of negative feedback. I don't always have to take in wrong feedback. I can choose to correct any situation through communication so that it doesn't have to get to a point of bitterness and anger due to a lack of communication.

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Horribly one-sided

An episode berating the woman for not being fully there for her husband. Really sad, she obviously was suffering deeply from the beginning and was alone. Double hit to her when her husband left to have an affair. The doctor did nothing to recognize the complete imbalance and rationalized the deepest violation of a marriage.

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Excellent

I learned a lot about myself and my marriage. The author takes you through the common that leads to the destruction of marriage.

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