Talk Is Not Enough: How Psychotherapy Really Works [Hardcover]

Willard Gaylin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000

Although more people than ever are in psychotherapy, confusion about what it is, who needs it, and who doesn't still exists. Drawing on over thirty years of experience as a psychotherapist, analyst, and teacher, Dr. Gaylin addresses the fundamentals of the therapeutic process. How does therapy work? Can "talking" truly precipitate a change in behavior? Why do therapists rely so heavily on childhood experiences? Does the past really affect the present? Gaylin speaks plainly but profoundly about the art of therapy, what the roles of the patient and therapist should be, and what it takes, on the part of each, for a patient to get better. The result is an enlightening tour through one of the most misunderstood sciences of our time. As insurance companies limit the number of therapy sessions they will cover and people look for quick-fix "cures" for their psychological ailments, Dr. Gaylin explains the importance of long-term therapy. This book has a natural audience of people in therapy. Current estimates put this number at 15 million.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an attempt to provide insight into the basic principles underlying disparate theories of mental functioning and the treatment of personality disorders, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Gaylin (Feelings, etc.), cofounder of the Hastings Center, focuses mainly on the psychoanalytic method. He contends that techniques such as free association and dream interpretation, the investigation of the way past experiences affect present behaviors, and the analysis of defense mechanisms together facilitate the treatment of character neuroses and disorders. Further, any effective treatment relies on the relationship between patient and therapist as a means to allow the patient to reconnect with the emotions underlying relationships with other people. Gaylin argues persuasively that in the effort to change behavior, intellectual insight (what he calls "knowledge") alone cannot galvanize the motivational factors necessary for successful therapy: "a direct quantitative relationship between knowing the good and doing the good does not exist." Writing for the general reader, he relies on a collection of anecdotes rather than on statistical data to illustrate the potential for treating psychological suffering through talking about it. While Gaylin's argument may not move those who are convinced that the best "cure" for mental distress and the best method for changing behavior by way of emotion lies in drug treatment, those interested in seeking psychotherapy should find insight in his book. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

What a great book! Gaylin, a cofounder of the Hastings Center and a practicing psychotherapist, has written a clear and focused explanation of psychotherapeutic practice. In simple language accessible to lay readers, Gaylin describes what psychotherapy is, how it differs from other types of psychological treatments, its goals, and the process of the therapy itself. Drawing on his own experiences and those of his colleagues and predecessors, Gaylin illustrates the different steps in the process. The history of psychoanalysis is briefly covered, and Gaylin also assesses who typically can and cannot be helped by this type of therapy. He concludes with a discussion of what the roles of patient and therapist should be, the different schools of psychotherapy--what they have in common and how they differ--and what questions to ask a prospective therapist. While many recent titles in this subject area are aimed at the therapy practitioner (e.g., Inside Therapy, LJ 9/15/98) or focus on tracing the history and development of discrete branches of psychotherapy (e.g., What Is Psychotherapy?, edited by Jeffrey K. Zeig and Michael Munion, Jossey-Bass, 1990; Developments in Psychotherapy, edited by Windy Dryden, Sage, 1996), Gaylin's book stands nearly alone (along with Dennis Brown and Jonathan Pedder's hard-to-get Introduction to Psychotherapy, Tavistock, 1991, and Robert Langs's Rating Your Psychotherapist, 1989. o.p.) as a broad-based overview of the field for the potential consumer. Gaylin is less focused on the contemporary state of psychotherapy than Brown and Pedder and more conversational than Lang. An excellent book for anyone in or thinking of therapy and for anyone with questions about this much misunderstood field; recommended for all public libraries.
-David E. Valencia, Federal Way Regional Lib., Seattle
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1ST edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316303089
• ISBN-13: 978-0316303088
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener., July 30, 2000

By 

M.A., Ph.D. (Boston, Mass) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talk Is Not Enough: How Psychotherapy Really Works (Hardcover)

I came to this book late. Despite the great review in the NYT, and the reputation of the author, I was turned off by the title. This book is nothing less than a deconstruction of psychotherapy. It takes it apart, confronts all the cliches, throws out what is sheer cant, and reconstructs the special elements that make psychotherapy work when it works, while explaining why it sometimes doesn't. This is, in other words, a very important book. At the same time it is written with charm, wit and style. For someone in therapy it is a true template to judge what the hell is actually going on. For someone contemplating therapy, it is a guide for the perplexed, indicating what to expect and how to pick a therapist. How often does one find a book on human behavior that is a great read and truly informative, while maintaining its scholarly standards?

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding overview of the field of psychotherapy, July 26, 2001

By 

Kate McMurry "Young Adult Author" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Talk Is Not Enough: How Psychotherapy Really Works (Hardcover)

Dr. Gaylin is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and cofounder of the Hastings Center, a distinguished institute for the study of ethical issues in the life sciences. For more than 30 years he has been a leading theoretician, educator and practitioner in the field of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.

As a person with a background in education and counseling psychology, I found this book a fascinating and very useful overview of trends in the field of psychotherapy. I believe it would very likely be interesting and relevant to any practicing or potential psychotherapist. It also could be helpful to lay persons who are considering getting therapy, are presently seeing a therapist, or have seen one in the past. Reading this book could assist them in deciding what their choices are for therapeutic techniques.

The following are some of the issues in psychotherapy this book discusses: (1) the significance of patient slips of the tongue, forgetting, "accidents" and lateness; (2) free association; (3) transference and countertransference; (4) dreams and fantasies; (5) motivation; (6) psychodynamic principle; (7) the developmental, sequential nature of behavior; (8) the unconscious; (9) human irrationality; (10) perceptual psychology; (11) defense mechanisms (healthy vs. unhealthy); (12) neurosis and catharsis; (13) guilt and shame; (14) insight therapy, in particular, the fact that insight in and of itself is rarely a transforming event; (15) neurosis; (16) avoidance; (17) self-fulfilling prophecy; (18) delusions and paranoia; (19) deprivation; (20) the ego-dystonic patient (his symptom is not part of his identity; it is a foreign body he wants removed, which makes him easier to help); (21) the ego-syntonic patient (harder to heal because the therapist must "prove" to him that his symptom is a foreign body, that is, help him become ego-dystonic, before healing can begin); (22) libido theory and its successors; (23) Freudian analysis; (24) hysteric and obsessive personality types; (25) the importance of helping the patient see what is sick and what is healthy; (26) nondirective therapy, in which the patient, not the therapist, chooses the subject for discussion; (27) behaviorism; (28) why therapists have traditionally avoided giving advice; (29) why the patient must have the will to change and the courage to act in order to heal; (30) the roots of passivity; (31) self-destructive behavior; (32) therapy as an art rather than a hard science; (33) therapy as a means to not only treat mental illness, but to understand human behavior in general.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, April 25, 2000

By 

Laura (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talk Is Not Enough: How Psychotherapy Really Works (Hardcover)

As a student, I wasn't thrilled about reading a heavy medical textbook and was delighted to find out this book was anything but! Filled with informative anecdotes and general, straightforward discussions, I happily read this book cover to cover. I've moved on to Dr. Gaylin's other books, and have yet to be disappointed!