Audio only
Length8h 34m
About this audiobook
With a New Preface by the Author
"The world’s best-known relationship expert.”- The New York Times
“Makes fewer promises and raises thornier questions than any other how-to-improve -your-relationship book. . . which is exactly why you should read this one.” —ELLE
A special twentieth-anniversary edition of the internationally bestselling and culturally groundbreaking book that cemented Esther Perel as the iconic relationship psychotherapist for today.
In the twenty years since Mating in Captivity was published in 2006, it has become a global phenomenon, as has its author, Esther Perel. As a psychotherapist and thought leader, Perel is widely considered one of the world’s most original and respected voices on erotic intelligence.
Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Mating in Captivity examines the obstacles and anxieties that arise when our quest for secure love conflicts with our pursuit for freedom and passion. It illuminates the complexities of sustaining desire in long-term relationships and shows how more playful, adventurous, and even poetic sex is possible. Wise, witty, and as revelatory as it is practical, Perel’s bold and provocative take on intimacy is ever more relevant today, asking:
Why does great sex so often fade for couples who claim to love each other as much as ever? Why doesn’t good intimacy guarantee good sex?
Can we want what we already have?
Why does the transition to parenthood so often spell erotic disaster?
In a new preface, Perel reveals the personal origin story behind the book and reflects upon the many cultural shifts since its publication. This twentieth-anniversary edition invites us to reconsider the timeless paradoxical union of domesticity and desire—and offers a guide to bringing lust home.
“For twenty years, Mating in Captivity has stood as one of the most honest explorations of modern love… In a world obsessed with image and performance, Esther keeps bringing us back to the truth of what it means to connect, to want, and to be seen.”- Trevor Noah, comedian and author of New York Times bestseller Born a Crime
“Esther embodies the exact qualities that make relationships strong – love, tenacity, honesty, and a ton of grace. Her embrace of our humanity – the beautiful and the disastrous – is why I turn to her work.” - Brené Brown, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of Strong Ground
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (62.9K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, StoryGraph, LibraryThing
GenrePsychology, Health and Wellness, Self-Help
Length8 hrs 34 mins
Narrated byEsther Perel
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateMay 12, 2026
LanguageEnglish
More from Esther Perel
What to Make of a LifeJim Collins13h 31m4.4 (794)$33 · $0.00
Matters of the HeartJacinta Nampijinpa Price9h 35m4.8 (359)$29 · $0.00
Black AF HistoryMichael Harriot15h 43m4.7 (14.6K)$33 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
Invisible StormJason Kander6h 48m4.7 (3.2K)$24 · $0.00
I Am The StormJanice Dean9h4.6 (1.5K)$8 · $0.00
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m4.6 (6.5K)$29 · $0.00
TerraformPropaganda5h 39m4.7 (594)$24 · $0.00
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases (Annotated)Ida B. Wells-Barnett2h 44m4.6 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
Hour of the HeartIrvin D. Yalom, Benjamin Yalom8h 19m4.6 (2.3K)$26 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
As a JewSarah Hurwitz8h 36m4.6 (1.2K)$26 · $0.00
Saint Joan (Annotated)George Bernard Shaw6h 20m4.6 (1.2K)$1.20 · $0.00
Burn the HaystackJennie Young, PhD9h 30m4.6 (543)$29 · $0.00
Woman and the New Race (Annotated)Margaret Sanger6h 30m4.6 (1K)$1.99 · $0.00
Good InsideBecky Kennedy9h 55m4.5 (59.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Godwin Woodson5h 4m4.5 (29.4K)$1.20 · $0.00
Du Bois: EssaysW.E.B. Du Bois6h 22m4.6 (1.5K)$1 · $0.00
The North American Indian (Illustrated Edition)Edward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge5h 59m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
A Plague Upon Our HouseScott W. Atlas MD10h 37m4.5 (3.4K)$20 · $0.00
The Cancer CodeDr. Jason Fung10h 48m4.5 (5.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Gift of TherapyIrvin Yalom7h 39m4.5 (38.8K)$26 · $0.00
EarlySarah DiGregorio9h 47m4.5 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
Bottle of LiesKatherine Eban14h 25m4.4 (12K)$33 · $0.00
The 36-Hour DayNancy L. Mace, Peter V. Rabins17h 13m4.4 (9.2K)$28 · $0.00
FlooredSara Reardon10h 36m4.5 (1K)$29 · $0.00
Radical RemissionKelly A. Turner9h 26m4.4 (8.1K)$29 · $0.00
The Sinatra SolutionStephen T. Sinatra MD9h4.5 (899)$20 · $0.00
The Songaminute ManSimon McDermott6h 12m4.5 (280)$24 · $0.00
Sometimes BrilliantLarry Brilliant12h 27m4.5 (954)$29 · $0.00
Live Your LifeAmanda Kloots, Anna Kloots10h 54m4.4 (13.7K)$29 · $0.00
All in Her HeadElizabeth Comen13h 25m4.4 (18.2K)$33 · $0.00
The Wisdom of Your BodyHillary McBride9h 14m4.4 (6.7K)$29 · $0.00
The Alzheimer's SolutionDean Sherzai, Ayesha Sherzai9h 47m4.4 (1.9K)$29 · $0.00
Rewire Your MindsetBrian Keane6h 49m4.5 (896)$23 · $0.00
Tuning The Human Biofield: Healing With Vibrational MedicineCENTER FOR SOUND THERAPY13h 28m4.4 (2.5K)$35 · $0.00
VaccinatedPaul A. Offit8h 30m4.4 (3.7K)$26 · $0.00
Hot and UnbotheredYana Tallon-Hicks10h 44m4.5 (600)$29 · $0.00
MetabolicalRobert H. Lustig12h 4m4.4 (12.8K)$29 · $0.00
Learning to PrayJames Martin13h 24m4.5 (3.4K)$33 · $0.00
Truth Without ApologyAcharya Prashant6h 41m4.8 (2.2K)$18 · $0.00
Autism Out Loud: the instant New York Times Bestseller. Moving Stories and Parenting Lessons Learned from Three Mothers of Children with AutismKate Swenson, Carrie Cariello, Adrian Wood8h 41m4.8 (2.1K)$26 · $0.00
Swayam Ki AwaazPrem Rawat8h 34m4.7 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
Forever BoyKate Swenson9h 27m4.7 (5K)$29 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m4.7 (4.8K)$29 · $0.00
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m4.6 (178K)$7 · $0.00
Finding MeViola Davis9h 15m4.6 (256.4K)$29 · $0.00
Spiritual AnatomyDaaji Kamlesh D. Patel9h 47m4.7 (319)$29 · $0.00
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m4.7 (385)$20 · $0.00
The Gospel according to Spiritualism (Translated)Allan Kardec14h 39m4.6 (3.9K)$5.70 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m4.6 (6.5K)$26 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Life on the BridgeKaelynn Partlow5h 40m4.6 (1.1K)$24 · $0.00
Keep Your Love OnDanny Silk9h 4m4.6 (8.1K)$10 · $0.00
The Tao of Joy Every DayDerek Lin10h 24m4.6 (762)$20 · $0.00
UndividedVicky Beeching9h 2m4.6 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
HE CAN WHO THINKS HE CAN & OTHER BOOKS ON SUCCESSOrison Swett Marden5h 54m4.6 (1.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
Burn the HaystackJennie Young, PhD9h 30m4.6 (543)$29 · $0.00
You may also like
I'm So Effing HungryAmy Shah, MD6h 16m3.8 (1.7K)$8 · $0.00
Intuitive Eating, 3rd EditionEvelyn Tribole MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Elyse Resch MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, FAND13h 51m4.3 (26.1K)$20
Pets on the CouchNicholas Dodman DVM8h 42m4.0 (1.1K)$20 · $0.00
Unf*ck Your IntimacyFaith G. Harper PhD6h 25m3.9 (4.5K)$17 · $0.00
Irrationally YoursDan Ariely3h 23m3.7 (2.8K)$18 · $0.00
NervousJen Soriano9h 56m4.3 (568)$29 · $0.00
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from VenusJohn Gray9h 28m3.7 (698K)$29 · $0.00
The Compound EffectDarren Hardy4h 44m4.4 (161.2K)$15
Fear and Other Uninvited GuestsHarriet Lerner3h 45m4.1 (1.7K)$17 · $0.00
The Attachment Parenting BookWilliam Sears MD, Martha Sears RN10h 1m4.3 (5K)$20
How Will You Measure Your Life?Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, Karen Dillon5h 29m4.1 (55.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Saad Truth about HappinessGad Saad7h 10m4.1 (791)$17
The Secret Language of LoveVictoria The Love Guru Foster7h 14m$6.40 · $0.00
The Mysteries of LoveVictoria The Love Guru Foster5h 5m$6.40 · $0.00
The House in Good TasteElsie De Wolfe5h 46m3.9 (397)$1 · $0.00
Toddler Discipline: Strategies To Educate Your Children Well (The Most Effective Parenting Tools, the Complete Guide to Help Children Develop Self-discipline, Responsibility and Respect)Jeffrey Broach4h 4m$3.50 · $0.00
Neighbors with BenefitsSkylar Reyes1h 43m4.4 (27)$2.99
Nerves and Common SenseAnnie Payson Call4h 30m3.8 (155)$2 · $0.00
Living on the EdgePenelope J. Westwood3h 39m$4.10 · $0.00
The Psychology of Hidden SignsDanniel Silva3h 21m$1.80 · $0.00