"When we talk of marriage counseling we think immediately of the extreme cases, of threats to seek divorce, of couples in violent disputes who frequently come to blows," Paul Tournier states. But there are many other couples whose marriages are no less a failure. "They live side by side, without hurting one another, but poles apart, because of no real understanding of one another." According to Tournier, the ability to understand each other is what counts in working out marital happiness together. With wisdom and warmth, Tournier suggests ways to achieve this understanding.

Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.