To one degree or another, all of us are torn between two fundamental urges. On the one hand, each of us has a profound desire to merge with another human being and become part of something larger than self; on the other we have an equally basic need to feel independent, free to make choices without constraint or compromise. Finding a way to balance the urge to merge with the desire to be free is what commitment is all about. Here's the problem: These two needs are diametrically opposed. Fear of commitment is the romantic dilemma of our time. It's the reason why so many promising relationships fail; it's the reason why so many men and women seem to be unable to find the love they say they want.

--What do you do when your partner appears to love you, but backs away whenever it gets "too close?"
--What do you do when you always seem to gravitate toward partners who seem to fear genuine intimacy?

--What do you do when you are the one who needs space and distance in your relationships?

Based on honest and revealing interviews, bestselling authors Steven Carter and Julia Sokol give readers basic strategies to help them understand commitmentphobia, balance their need for intimacy with their desire for space, and find the love they deserve.