Larry A. Bugen, a nationally recognized psychologist, offers us a love story for our self-absorbed society in Stuck on Me: Missing You... Getting Past Self-Absorption to Find Love. Sometimes love for others becomes blurred by a preoccupation with oneself. Carried too far, this self-absorption jeopardizes the love bonds we need to survive. Bugen, a photographer as well as a psychologist, shows how our lives are full of opportunities to learn how to love, as long as we are willing to accept our imperfections. He critiques the pervasive narcissism of contemporary culture, reveals the true nature of love, and presents Six Gifts that ensure its survival among the fittest. The gifts, which are habits of the heart, serve as tools of transformation to mature and generous living.
I recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a “love story” about how one may transform from self absorption to learning how to love, one of the most complicated and important of all endeavors. This book is informative for practicing psychotherapists, and is accessible and readable for anyone who wishes guidance and insight about healthy intimacy.
– Melba Vasquez, PhD, ABPP American Psychological Association President-Elect 2011
Psychologist, Independent Pracrice, Austin, Texas
Larry Bugen poignantly states that our lifetimes are overflowing with opportunities to learn how to love – as long as we see our imperfections as broken glass that shines brightly in our lives. In these broken times – when we are challenged personally, interpersonally, nationally, and internationally – this book is a must read.
– Ambassador Pam Willeford Former United States Ambassador to Switzerland
Stuck on Me: Missing You is a delightful read. Bugen challenges us to look deeply inside ourselves and truly confront reality; then he presents us with six wonderful “gifts,” habits of the heart, providing us with the tools of transformation to mature and generous living. If you feel that narcissism is something that only besets the lives of others, be careful in reading this book! You may gain a more accurate insight with the reality which is you.
– Bishop John McCarthy Diocese of Austin
