Linda knew that if she kept looking she'd surely find the one. Every since childhood she knew her soul mate existed and was out there waiting to find her. That's how it was in all the fairy tales she had read as a child and in all her favorite books and movies. There was no need for worry. All it takes is that one look and she'd know that her prince charming had arrived. The perfect partner who would fulfill her in every way… Happily ever after! …what sweet words. Sure she'd made a few mistakes along the way - like Ron. “It seemed like love at first sight, he was so attractive, and so attracted to me. Our connection was immediate and intense. The lovemaking was divine! He seemed like everything I'd always dreamed of”. But then things changed. She found out that they had little in common and that he had several "soul mates"; and was seeing them all at the same time he was seeing her.

Then there was Paul. “I knew from the beginning he wasn't the one - but I stayed in a relationship with him because he loved me so much and treated me so nicely. We eventually grew apart once he realized I was less enthusiastic about him than he was about me. There have been others who have disappointed me, but I know that special person - my soul mate - is out there and when we meet ... happily ever after!”

Linda's search for love is based on the unrealities of romantic love so popularized in the tales and myths of western society. It is the romance found in fairy tales, movies, romance novels, the media, and in the minds and fantasies of many. It is characterized by an almost immediate and intense attraction that alone can sustain any relationship. It is a belief that true love can overcome all obstacles and insure that you will be fulfilled completely by your partner. It reflects the search for the soul mate - that one person in the universe who is made just for you and is the only one that can truly make you happy. By basing your search for love and relationships on love myths you are insuring many experiences of frustration and disappointment. By acknowledging the realities of love- you are arming yourself with a map that accurately reflects what does or does not contribute to healthy, fulfilling relationships.