Learning to Love with Alain de Botton (In person)

Organised by:

Tavistock Relationships

Description

An inspiring evening talk with drinks reception!

With Alain de Botton & Perrine Moran (Chair)

Despite our collective yearning for lasting intimacy, thriving relationships remain elusive for many. This talk explores the psychological foundations that underpin successful romantic bonds, drawing on clinical insight, developmental theory, and emotional realism. At its core is the idea that love is not simply a matter of chance or chemistry, but a learnable skill grounded in a few critical capacities: the ability to tolerate imperfection (in ourselves and others), to be vulnerably known, to extend compassion in moments of conflict, and to understand how childhood experiences shape our relational expectations.

The talk will examine key patterns that routinely undermine relationships – such as unprocessed shame, defensiveness, projection, and the repetition of early attachment wounds – while offering a therapeutic framework for how couples can grow, rather than crumble, through intimacy.

Drawing on familiar clinical dynamics, the talk offers practical, reparative ways of thinking about need, conflict, desire, and repair in modern love. It is especially aimed at those working in relational contexts -therapists, analysts, counsellors – who seek emotionally attuned language to guide both clients and themselves through the complex terrain of adult intimacy.

There will be time for questions at the end of the talk and we encourage you to join in! The event will be offered both in person and online. For those joining in person there will be a drinks reception and time to meet with colleagues old and new before the talk.

For more information about this event, please visit https://trtogether.com/events/learning-to-love-with-alain-de-botton

For more information about Tavistock Relationships, please visit https://tavistockrelationships.org

An online version of this event with different pricing is also available. Please see the TR Together website for details.

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