The Jealousy Cure

Could jealousy be a positive thing? In this groundbreaking book, Robert L. Leahy-author of the hugely popular self-help guide, The Worry Cure-invites you to gain a greater understanding of your jealous feelings, keep jealousy from hijacking your life, and create healthier relationships.

We've all heard tales of the overly jealous spouse or significant other. Maybe we've even been that jealous person, though we may not want to admit it. It's hard to imagine anyone sailing through life without either having feelings of jealousy or being the target of someone's jealousy. But what if jealousy isn't just a neurotic weakness? What if it signals that your relationship matters to you? In short-what if jealousy serves a purpose?

In The Jealousy Cure, renowned psychologist Robert L. Leahy takes a more nuanced approach to tackling feelings of jealousy. In this compelling book, you'll uncover the evolutionary origins of jealousy, and how and why it's served to help us as a species. You'll also learn practices based in emotional schema theory, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness to help you overcome the shame jealousy can bring, improve communication with your partner, and ultimately make room for jealousy while also making your relationship more meaningful. You will learn that confronting jealousy in your relationship does not have to be a catastrophe, but can redirect you and your partner to build more trust, acceptance, and connection.

We often feel jealous because we fear losing the things or people that matter to us the most. With this insightful guide, you'll discover how jealousy can both help and hurt your relationship, and learn proven-effective skills to keep jealousy in its place.

“Within this book, Robert Leahy, a renowned world leader in our field, illuminates the complex burdens of this universal emotion of jealousy within a love relationship. He then points the way out of this tumultuous storm of thoughts and feelings by offering clear, specific, and practical steps. This is by far the best self-help book for people with jealousy that I have ever read.”

—Reid Wilson, PhD, author of Stopping the Noise in Your Head

“In The Jealousy Cure, Robert Leahy has provided the reader with a comprehensive understanding of jealousy. ... Leahy, through interactive, fun exercises, helps the reader identify and understand their jealousy. Based on the tried-and-true principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Leahy then equips the reader to address their jealousy so that problematic behaviors and tormenting thoughts and feelings can be reduced. This highly informative and valuable resource will be an essential resource to both those in clinical practice and individuals struggling with jealously.”

—Leslie Sokol, PhD, coauthor of Think Confident, Be Confident; Think Confident, Be Confident for Teens; and The Think Confident, Be Confident Workbook for Teens

“Do you have a jealousy problem? Does it interfere with your relationship? Are you consumed with jealous thoughts and jealous feelings? Do you wish you could decrease your suffering? If so, you need this book! Robert Leahy clearly expresses why we feel jealous, he normalizes this intense experience, and he explains how our emotions and our thinking get highjacked. Then he details what to do. He teaches the reader how to detach from jealous thoughts and disengage from unhelpful behavior. He offers tools for coping with jealousy and various strategies to solve problems that it causes in relationships. The Jealousy Cure will help individuals who suffer from jealousy and those who are in relationships with jealous partners. As a stand-alone book or an accompaniment to therapy, The Jealousy Cure is very well written and quite interesting (even if you don’t have a jealousy problem). Most of all, it provides essential skills for couples who need to improve their relationships.”

—Judith S. Beck, PhD, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy

“In his latest book, Robert Leahy—acclaimed psychologist and author of The Worry Cure—offers a creative and penetrating, yet hopeful, perspective on jealousy; one of the most misunderstood and highly destructive human emotions. Based on decades of psychotherapy experience and a unique adaptation of the cognitive behavioral approach to emotion, this well-researched, thought-provoking, and practical therapeutic manual provides valuable strategies that can liberate those inflicted with the self-defeating effects of pathological jealousy. Couples caught up in the jealousy vortex will discover wise counsel offered with sensitivity and compassion, making this a must-read for those seeking answers for tormented intimate partners.” 

—David A. Clark, PhD, LPsych, professor emeritus at the University of New Brunswick, Canada; author of The Anxious Thoughts Workbook; and coauthor of The Anxiety and Worry Workbook