Customer Reviews

Talk Is Not Enough: How Psychotherapy Really Works

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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?

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.

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!

This is a fascinating book for therapists and patients alike. This look at the mysterious process of psychotherapy helps explain the process and answer questions like how does it work. For another book that answers similar questions from the point of view of several different writers, I'd suggest "Inside Therapy."

What can I add? This book is brilliantly written with style, compassion, and impressive insights into the dynamics of the psychotherapeutic relationship. The anecdotes (from the author's personal history and his patients) sprinkled throughout are enlightening and demonstrate Dr. Gaylin's thesis as well as his writing skills. In short, this is an illuminating book as well as an enjoyable one.

It's not easy to tell whether this book is written with the therapist, the client or someone else in mind but as a client I found it a fascinating and fairly accurate guide to much that I've experienced. If I had read it before experiencing psychotherapy, I'm not sure I would have understood, appreciated or respected it. Now, however, it's almost like examining the infrastructure of my house ("oh my! THAT's how it's held together!"). My only quibble is that the closing section of the book gets a bit mushy.

Simply perfect in explaining the fundamentals of psychotherapy and its role in society. I've been an avid reader of Dr. Gaylin's books for 15-some years and this is one of his best. As for the person who wrote that first negative review, I suggest he seek the use of psychotherapy, himself.

This is a must read book for anyone in therapy or thinking about it. It demystifies the process of what goes on between patient and therapist and explains how therapy works. The author uses personal anecdotes that are both touching and funny to help explain the whole process. Anyone would be lucky to have a therapist as intelligent and empathetic as the author, Willard Gaylin.

I've been contemplating psychotherapy for quite some time and I wanted to educate myself on this subject before I made a decision. The book is reader friendly and gives some interesting information on "what to do and expect" for the PSYCHOTHERAPIST, which seems to be the main focus of the author's writing. This became more and more apparent as I read along and I was somewhat bored and frustrated for not getting the information which was truly needed for myself. A good book for the person in this profession but not for the severely depressed consumer.

a "MUST" for patients, potential patients and Psychiatrists!