Polywise: a deeper dive into navigating open relationships

As polyamory continues to make its way into the mainstream, more and more people are exploring consensual non-monogamy in the hope of experiencing more love, connection, sex, freedom, and support.

While for many, the move expands personal horizons, for others, the transition can be challenging, leaving them blindsided and overwhelmed. Beyond the initial transition to non-monogamy, many struggle with the root issues beneath the symptoms of broken agreements, communication challenges, increased fighting, and persistent jealousy.

Polyamorous psychotherapist Jessica Fern and restorative justice facilitator David Cooley share the insights they have gained through thousands of hours working with clients in consensually non-monogamous relationships. Using a grounded theory approach, they explore the underlying challenges that non-monogamous individuals and partners can experience after their first steps, offering practical strategies for transforming them into opportunities for new levels of clarity and intimacy.

About the Authors

Jessica Fern
Jessica Fern is a psychotherapist, public speaker, and trauma and relationship expert, author of Polysecure. In her international private practice, Jessica works with individuals, couples, and people in multiple-partner relationships who no longer want to be limited by their reactive patterns, cultural conditioning, insecure attachment styles, and past traumas, helping them to embody new possibilities in life and love. 

David Cooley
David Cooley is a professional restorative justice facilitator, diversity and privilege awareness trainer, and bilingual cultural broker. He works with non-monogamous and LGBTQ clients, incorporating modalities including trauma-informed care, attachment theory, somatic practices, narrative theory, and mindfulness-based techniques.

Reviews

‘In her latest book, Jessica Fern has crafted the map to guide readers and lovers venturing into the uncharted. With great care and necessary nuance, Polywise is a must-read for anyone navigating open relationships.’ - ESTHER PEREL

‘If you are ready to think more deeply about communication, codependency, conflict, and repair in your most important relationships, Polywise is required reading.’
ALEXANDRA H. SOLOMON, PHD, AUTHOR OF LOVE EVERY DAY AND HOST OF REIMAGINING LOVE

‘In Polywise, Jessica Fern and David Cooley help readers understand the often unseen root causes of symptoms and give them the strategies they need so their relationships can actually thrive.’
JOELLEN NOTTE, AUTHOR OF THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED: SEX, DEPRESSION, AND THE CONVERSATIONS WE AREN’T HAVING AND IN IT TOGETHER: NAVIGATING DEPRESSION WITH PARTNERS, FRIENDS, AND FAMILY

 Details

Paperback, Scribe Publications, September 2023, ISBN-13 9781915590602