Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think: Bringing the Psychotherapeutic Engagement into the Living Moment [Paperback]

James F. T. Bugental (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | ISBN-10: 1891944134 | ISBN-13: 978-1891944130

This book draws on the author's half century of experience in teaching, consulting with, and supervising psychotherapists throughout the world. He begins with the premise that the field has become too preoccupied with information: collecting information from the client and then feeding that information back to the client in different forms. The author then explains how and why shifting away from information gathering to attending to what is actually happening in the therapy room increases the effectiveness of the therapeutic interaction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Zeig Tucker & Theisen Inc (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891944134
• ISBN-13: 978-1891944130
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true master therapist speaks again., August 6, 2000

By 

Victor Yalom, Ph.D. (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think: Bringing the Psychotherapeutic Engagement into the Living Moment (Paperback)

Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think: Bringing the Psychotherapeutic Engagement Into the Living Moment. James F.T. Bugental, Ph.D. Zeig/Tucker, 1999. The latest work of this pioneering existential-humanistic master psychotherapist. The subtitle concisely states the central deceptively simple theme that he has been hammering at (or hammering out) for the past four decades--that therapy is not detective work to uncover the past, or to explain how a client got to be a certain way, but rather it is a joint undertaking between therapist and client in which both parties must strive to be present in the moment. Bugental argues powerfully and persuasively for the primacy of the client's subjective experience as the proper realm for true depth psychotherapy. He demonstrates clearly in this text (as well as in previous writings, such as his classic, The Art of the Psychotherapist), the therapist must avoid the pitfalls of the "content trap," but rather focus attention on the client's process. Although most therapists think they know the difference between content versus process, in actuality, the term "process" is often used so loosely that it becomes meaningless, as in references to a client "processing her feelings," or "leading a process group." Bugental skillfully elucidates the various nuances of a client's process, and shows how the therapist can begin to notate or "tag" the client's process, helping clients to see, experience, and gradually modify the the most restrictive elements of their process which form their core patterns of life (and therapy) resistance. The chapter titles and subheadings alone should be enough to make you run out (or double click) and buy this book (published by the new press, Zeig, Tucker, & Co--This is the Jeffrey Zeig, director of the Milton Erickson Foundation, producer of the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conferences, and a masterful therapist and teacher in his own right). A few samples: Living is Only in the Now--Orienting psychotherapy to what is actually present; Two Eyes are Better than One--We need both the objective and the subjective; and The Necessity for Space Suits--Our self-and-world construct systems. Written by Jim Bugental in his eighties, this work should give us a cause to celebrate, reminding us of why we were drawn to this field in the first place.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Experiencing the now, May 28, 2007

By 

Deb (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think: Bringing the Psychotherapeutic Engagement into the Living Moment (Paperback)

Bugental's book serves as a great reminder that the healing essence of therapy is found in the living moment between therapist and client. Striving to explore the client's experiencing in the here-and-now (instead of collecting facts in a "who-done-it" type investigation), this humanistic-existential approach to therapy invites the client to find their own truth, while in the safe and ever-present company of the therapist. By helping the client to engage in the living moment in the therapy room, the therapist can ultimately help the client to engage fully in their relationships with self and others outside of the therapy.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Must Have for the Existential-Humanistic Therapist or Therapist in Training, March 9, 2006

By 

J. Silitsky "therapeutically inspired" (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think: Bringing the Psychotherapeutic Engagement into the Living Moment (Paperback)

Bugental's book is captivating and inspiring for any therapist wanting to work on truly bringing the therapy into the room. You will learn from Bugental in many ways professionally and personally by reading his refreshing perspective.