Love's Executioner: & Other Tales of Psychotherapy (Perennial Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book should be required reading for anybody either undergoing psychotherapy or providing it. Irvin Yalom uses his experience with ten clients to illustrate how people change in therapy. Sometimes the change comes out of brilliant insights, sometimes it comes from the therapist's mistakes. Either way, Yalom's integrity in relating these vignettes helps the reader understand the process better.
If you're not in therapy, perhaps this book will help you understand yourself and your internal processes a bit better. Which of Yalom's patients do you identify with? Which to you totally reject? Either of those patients, and Yalom's treatment of them, has something to teach you.
If you are in therapy, notice how Yalom treats his patients, how he thinks about them. How does this compare to your relationship with your therapist? Do you experience the same challenges, the same caring, the same dynamic? Or do you just show up and whine for an hour?
As a therapist, I found Yalom's work particularly brave. Who would write a book about their mistakes? Yet, from his mistakes, I find myself learning--and also better enabled to learn from my mistakes. Reading Love's Executioner helped to keep me from sitting on that God-like Throne and remember to be a human being with my clients; a fellow sufferer, an ally in the healing process.
And if the idea of therapy seems not to apply to you, then you may simply find this book a fascinating story about how a thoughtful and insightful man deals with the sorrows, wounds, and needs of other human beings. These stories impart a powerful understanding of human relationships, whether you're involved in therapy or not.
Five stars for candor and courage. Five stars for a sharp writing style that holds attention better than most "case studies," and five stars for choosing stories that speak to the depths of people's hearts.
(If you'd like to discuss this book or review, click on the link above to drop me an email. Thanks!)

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Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story Review

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(More customer reviews)Whether you are a want-to-be writer who needs a little push in the right direction or are starting a journey of self knowledge, Courage & Craft is a good place to start. This book advocates regular journaling. I write in my journal on a daily basis. I find that not only do these entries serve as a good historical record of my journey but also get me into the practice of writing. Therefore, when I sit down to actually write, I don't find it quite as intimidating.
In the past few years I've read several books on journaling. In my mind, Courage & Craft is set apart from the rest for a number of reasons. Each portion of information in this book is followed by practical to do exercises. The exercises I found most useful were questions or ideas that got me thinking and wanting to express my opinion which naturally drew in me to begin writing.
I liked that the author's cues interspersed descriptions of everyday things with deeper subjects of the past. I love the notion of self knowledge but frankly trying to find something profound to write each day is rather overwhelming. Just knowing that I can write about an object in the room or what the weather is and still be moving forward in the process is very freeing.

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Have you always wanted to write about your life but wondered how to get started, how to keep going, and whether it's even worth it in the first place? Under the guidance of veteran author and writing teacher Barbara Abercrombie, you'll learn how to turn the messy, crazy, sad, and wonderful stuff of your life into prose or poetry that has order, clarity, and meaning. Abercrombie presents the nuts and bolts of several genres, showing you how to keep a journal, craft a personal essay, or write a memoir, autobiography, poem, or work of fiction. She offers lessons to embolden you as a writer and practical guidelines for working writing into your everyday life, giving and receiving feedback, and getting your work published. In Courage & Craft, you'll find exercises to keep the inner critic at bay, inspiration from writers who've been there, and proven advice for getting your words on the page and out into the world.--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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