What to read next as recommended by our therapists - Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb
I have always been an avid reader and books have been a constant companion in my life. When I think back on my life certain books serve as significant markers of different life stages or life events.
I still remember the adventures of the twin sisters Jessica and Elizabeth in the Sweet Valley High series, the sheer wonder of discovering J.R.R Tolkien’s magical world, the sharp and witty humour of Terry Pratchett in the discworld series or being confronted with the tragedy that is the human condition in Die Uurwerk Kantel by Marié Heese.
Since being in private practice I am constantly on the lookout for books thathelp me understand my clients better, but also to assist my clients in understanding themselves and their difficulties better.
Often books can be the start to a personal journey of self-development and growth where one book just speaks to your psyche, or it can be an additional aid in an already established therapeutic process. There is actually an approach called Bibliotherapy; (how fantastic is that), which reaffirms the meaning I ascribed to literature for so long.
Bibliotherapy is the guided reading of literature in gaining a better understanding of oneself or that is aligned with a person’s self-development or relevant therapeutic needs. However, when I am searching the internet for recommended ‘psychology’ books I frequently find too many self-help or academic books or long lists of recommendations that feel impersonal to me.
So, I approached my fellow psychologist colleagues for their reviews and requested that we write about the best books we have read in the past year. Hopefully one of these books can serve as a form of Bibliotherapy for one of you. This started off as an idea for a once off blog post and before we knew it, turned into a series of posts that will hopefully become a regular feature on our blog.
So here goes our first post on What to read next - as recommended by our therapists with my first recommendation:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Lori Gottlieb is a well-known psychotherapist and author. In her book Maybe you should talk to someone Gottlieb relates her own story of becoming a psychotherapist, she shares the stories and therapeutic processes of four of her patients and her own journey of ending up on a therapist’s couch.
She weaves these three narratives together in such a way that is intimate, funny and relatable. For many people therapy is a daunting thought and I get it sharing the most intimate and often painful details of your life to a stranger is definitely scary. But Lori Gottlieb makes the unknown familiar, the scary seem tolerable.
What makes this book so great for me is the fact that Gottlieb normalises and humanises therapy, but also psychotherapists (aka psychologists). She is vulnerable about her own struggles and therapeutic process and the genuine love she feels for her patients.
So, if you were ever curious about what goes on behind the four walls of a psychologists’ office or contemplated therapy, this book is a good introduction to the wonderful world of therapy and being human in relation to others. I am a psychologist and she (re-)convinced me that therapy is a necessity and maybe everyone should talk to someone.
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