Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. 1) Self Esteem and Love 2) The Challenge and Beauty of Romantic Love 3) Coping with Anxiety and Stress 3) How to Raise Your Self-Esteem 4) The Psychology of Romantic Love

1. Self Esteem and Love

Why do I always fall for Ms./Mr. Wrong?
Why do my relationships never work out?
Why do I sabatoge a relationship when it starts feeling too good?
Why do I feel that my relationship is a project that I must continually struggle to make work?

"Self esteem--high or low--tends to be a generator of self fulling prophecies."

The answer to the above questions is low self-esteem. There is no greater barrier to romantic happiness or a fulfilling relationship than the secret fear that I am undeserving of love....or that...my destiny is to be hurt. Fears of inadequacy give birth to self fulfilling prophecies because we tend to see other people as sources of approval or disapproval. To quote my guest, Nathaniel Branden, "If the aim is to prove that I am enough the project goes on to infinity because the battle was already lost on the day you conceded the issue was debatable." Nothing we do ever feels like enough to give us the value we seek. It's time to turn the illusion (yes, illusion!) of deficiency into knowing our own worth and value. What is required for many of us is the courage to tolerate happiness without self-sabotage. Find out how!

The Challenge and Beauty
of Romantic Love

"Romantic love is not a fantasy, nor a dream; it's seeing the person in reality and loving what you see."

Romantic love is a passionate- spiritual- emotional -sexual attachment between two people that reflects a high regard for the value of each person. Fascination, attraction, and passion may be born "at first sight." Love is not. Love requires knowledge, time and consciously, directed awareness. On our show, Dr. Nathaniel Branden and Sheri discuss the conditions in which love grows and the reasons why love dies. Contrary to the cliché that 'love is blind', love blossoms in an atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance as well as through remaining actively visible (not blind) to each other. Whatever stage your relationship is in, this show can help you to better understand …

	How to stay connected to those qualities you value and desire in your partner.
	Why romantic love is for adults and not children.
	Surefire communicate techniques which diffuse anger and help you quickly get back to love.
	What relationship ruts are really all about.
	Ways to juice up an undernourished relationship.

In a relationship where romantic love is nourished, it can be a pathway to extraordinary joy and profound discovery. In a relationship that is starving in silence and visibility, there can be excruciating suffering. Which sounds better to you? Tune in and find out what it takes to truly make a loving relationship flourish.

Coping with Anxiety and Stress

How to Raise Your Self-Esteem

"We tend to feel most comfortable, most 'at home,' with persons whose self-esteem level resembles our own."

You are special.

You are a blessing.

When you read these words, how do you feel? 

Do you accept these words as true, or does something get in the way? 

Many of us have a lot of trouble accepting compliments and praise because deep down we don't feel like we deserve it. This feeling of unworthiness is one of the more blatant symptoms of low self-esteem. In fact, nearly every psychological problem — from anxiety and depression to self-sabotage at work or at school, from fear of intimacy to chronic hostility — is traceable to low self-esteem.

In "How to Raise Your Self Esteem" Sheri Meyers Gantman and Dr. Nathaniel Branden explain the fundamentals of building a healthy sense of self. This is not simply a collection of affirmations, in this show, you will be given tools and exercises to help you begin building your self-esteem today.

Higher self-esteem is the single greatest gift you can give yourself. By saying yes to self-esteem, you open to a world of confidence, grace, strength and a greater overall feeling of well-being. YOU DESERVE IT!

The Psychology of Romantic Love

It's Time to Fall in Love Again!

Being in love is perhaps the greatest experience a person can have. When you first fall in love, the world seems better, brighter, lighter. Everything the object of your love does is magic....at first. However, once the initial wonder dies and reality sets in, you find this heavenly person is really only human. What then?

In "The Psychology of Romantic Love", Sheri Meyers Gantman and guest, Dr. Nathaniel Branden, explore the essence of love and explain the keys to keeping love alive, through the years.

On this show you'll learn....

	What romantic love is and isn't.
	The secrets to long-term happiness.
	How to keep close when you feel oceans apart.
	How to rekindle a fading flame.

Love, passionate love, is a gift. However, it must be cultivated, if it is to last. Let "Straight from the Heart" give you the tools to take the relationship you have and turn it into the love that you want to last a lifetime. 

Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. a practicing psychotherapist in Los Angeles, has written 20 books which have been translated into 18 languages, with more than 3.5 million copies in print. His works include the classic "The Psychology of Self-Esteem", originally published in 1969. His most recent books include: "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" "Taking Responsibility", "The Art of Living Consciously", "How to Raise Your Self Esteem", "HonoringThe Self " and "The Psychology of Romantic Love". In addition to his numerous books, Dr. Branden also has a newly released set of CD's to help with anxiety, sleep problems and stress. The name Nathaniel Branden has become synonymous with "the psychology of self-esteem," a field he began pioneering over thirty years ago. He has done more, perhaps, than any other theorist to awaken America's consciousness to the importance of self-esteem to human well-being.  To contact Nathaniel Branden go to www. nathanielbranden.com