Customer Reviews

Every Day Gets A Little Closer: A Twice-told Therapy

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reading 2 other books by Dr. Yalom ("Love's executioner.." & "Momma..." I came to "Every day gets a little closer". I'm glad I read the other two books first, because they make a better introduction to the writer / psychiatrist's work. "Every day gets a little closer" is a much more "closed" book, meaning that it takes some time & patience to get through it.

What it is the account of Ginny Elkin's (pseudonym) therapy, written from the point of view of both Dr. Yalom, & Ginny. It is often striking how these 2 points of view can be so different! & yet, while reading this book, you get a definite sense of the therapeutic relationship developing, of the existing & growing feelings between doctor & patient.

The down side is that the book is definitely slow, although very rewarding at times. But then, the therapeutic process itself is slow. What I found really interesting was the afterword by Dr. Yalom which describes the process & the methods he used while treating Ginny. It put a new light on the whole book, which at times seemed chaotic.

All in all, definitely give this book a go if you're interested in the therapy relationship, in the magic & slow change that occurs in the therapist's office. But don't expect a quick & easy read, because you'll be disappointed.

Trained in counseling psychology with 10 years experience, I've read most of Yalom's works and in this, as usual he, and his client, are able to convey, in this case through an actual CASE, the candid and wonderfully challenging, beautiful process of growth through relationship - a definite read for those in training (it is normalizing of an often foreign training process) and interested in the drones, pains and small delights of how psychotherapy works. For the practitioner it poses as a refresher course to what we may have forgotten. This book lets you in to this strange world of healing, including the boredom, sensitivity, [counter] tranference issues and realness of the process, and the amazing world of a very interesting client. I recommend an overview reading from beginning to end and going back to find finer points and connections. I would not recommend this for people who thrive in the excitement of psychodrama, however - too slow. Love's Executioner may be a better bet for you. Great works.

this was his book i was most excited to read, and while i think the concept is great, i don't think it really worked. the accounts were often long-winded and dull, and when there were little gems within that made it worth wading through, they were often hidden amidst pages of muck. i still think the idea behind the book is strong and could work, however, and i admire yalom for trying, but at the same time i wonder if it's not somewhat unethical to reveal so much to a patient about the therapist's feelings, and also to give her free therapy in exchange for writing for him - like, is it a conflict of interest on his part, and therefore countertherapeutic? also, the book doesn't really say if she got better in the long-term. i'm not so sure... still glad i read the book, but didn't honestly feel i got too much out of it. many of his other books are head and shoulders above this one...

This is one of those books I couldn't wait to run back to. In those free moments between dishes and the bank, and the relaxed air of bedtime, I reveled in anticipation, because this book is like a talk with my best friend. Maybe better. Candor, humor and delightful poetic insights ramble through the hills and valleys of this therapeutic reality fest. I came away with a new sense of myself and the possibilities of my life. I will miss Dr. Yalom and Ginny. If you are looking for Mary Higgins Clark you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for a friend you don't want to let go, this is your lucky day.

For anyone who has ever wondered what it is like inside the therapy session of another person, or how successful psychotherapy works, this is an extremely satisfying book. For another wonderful book with answers to these questions, (for which Dr. Yalom wrote a foreword) read "Inside Therapy," which collects the writing of a number of author/therapists about what goes on in the therapist's mind, the patient's mind and how the process works.

Someone who is just experiencing therapy may not be comfortable reading this book which really is a tell ALL from both sides of the couch. It's a little like the magician who gave away all the tricks. Still, the intellectual analysand, struggling to understand what he/she should be doing in therapy--how best to use the process--can learn from the hesitancy of Ginny who was reluctant to take brave leaps of faith, whose self-consciousness prevented becoming more conscious of her self through this relationship. Those of us who have been there, done that can get a therapeutic booster shot by experiencing vicariously the relationship between a caring therapist and a creative, blocked woman. It is compelling reading. It is NOT fiction; there is no clear, happy denoument. It's best that way.

I picked this book up hoping for more of the unforgettable images and dazzling insights of Love's_Executioner, but I was disappointed. This book was actually written many years before, when the author was much less accomplished both as a writer and a therapist, so I found it flat and uninvolving, with little of the insight and none of the prose style that made Love's_Executioner great.

Still, I wouldn't criticize this book too strongly. It is what it says it is--a VERY detailed, no doubt realistic double diary of a long, not entirely successful therapy series that is meant to give the reader good idea of how this kind of thing is done. Those who are fascinated by therapy itself might well find a lot of value in this book. Those who, like me, only find therapy interesting for what it can reveal about the human condition will probably be bored.

This book and others written by Yalom changed my life.I would suggest reading it to every person (especially young women)having self-esteem problems.I find Yalom extremely intelligent,warm hearted,subtle.He uses simple language to deal with the deepest topics. By the way,I'm rather envious of Ginny Elkin, because I would have liked to have the same experience of therapy.

This is a very courageous book about a very courageous project. It touched me deeply. Brief entries from a master therapist and a writer patient in which each describes what happened for them in each session over a year or so personalize the therapeutic process. One can read a half dozen self help books about therapy and never come as near to understanding the meaning of the therapeutic relationship as well as in this book. While this is not Yalom's best book in literary terms - he was clearly still thinking about being a writer rather than being one - his willingness to expose his own feelings, needs and strategy as a man and a therapist to both the patient (who got to read his entries periodically) and reader is enriching. The book is a good exposition of Yalom's thesis that therapy is ultimately and primarily about the relationship between patient and therapist in which what goes on in the 45 minute hour is the most important element in healing.

Every Day Gets a Little Closer met my expectations. The afterward by Irvin Yalom is the most interesting and useful part and is a well earned reward for slogging through all the session notes. Throughout the book Yalom is open and honest about thoughts and feelings in a way that might prove helpful to other therapists. Meanwhile Ms. Elkin's perspective is also quite helpful, depicting some of the healing dynamics and relational aspects that therapists are often not privy to. The book does a great job of depicting both the beauty and awkwardness inherant in the client/therapist relationship. A worthwhile read for academic purposes but not terribly gripping for other purposes.