Esther Perel

Esther Perel (born 1958) is a Belgian psychotherapist notable for exploring the tension between the need for security (love, belonging and closeness) and the need for freedom (erotic desire, adventure and distance) in human relationships. Perel promoted the concept of Erotic Intelligence in a best selling book (Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence) which was published in 2006 and since has been translated into 24 languages. A talk entitled The secret to desire in a long-term relationship which she gave at TED in February 2013 has received more than 7.5 million views on TED's website as of January 2016. A talk entitled Rethinking infidelity ... a talk for anyone who has ever loved which she gave at TED in March 2015 has received more than 2.7 million views on TED's website as of August 2015. 2Professional career Perel is Jewish and the daughter of two Polish-born Holocaust survivors. She was raised in Antwerp and attended Hebrew University. Perel grew up amongst Holocaust survivors in Antwerp, Belgium and noted two groups around her: "those who didn't die, and those who came back to life". Her observation was that "those who didn't die were people who lived tethered to the ground, afraid, untrusting. The world was dangerous, and pleasure was not an optio