Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Book Review

This is THE therapy book. I highly recommend this book if you’re curious about therapy or navigating a crisis of your own…or if you’re just interested in learning more about how other people work through their pain.⁣
⁣
⁣This nonfiction memoir is written by therapist Lori Gottlieb as she navigates her own personal crisis along with the chronic crises of her clients. Throughout the course of the book, we encounter a terminally ill woman struggling to confront her mortality, a young woman with a drinking problem who can’t stop choosing the wrong men, a big-shot TV exec with narcissistic tendencies and a senior citizen contemplating suicide. We also learn about Lori’s own journey in therapy after a difficult breakup.⁣
⁣
⁣I’m a huge believer in therapy and I truly believe that everyone could benefit from it. That said, therapy is by no means a magic pill, as Lori explains in the book. Therapy is only effective if the patient is willing to really do the work, which means consistently attending therapy sessions and making tangible changes based on what is uncovered.
⁣
⁣Reading this book felt a bit like a therapy session in and of itself. In explaining the therapy process and the different techniques she and other therapists use, Lori leaves the reader with incredibly wise and comforting little nuggets.
⁣
⁣One of my favorite such nuggets was when she likens psychotherapy to psychical therapy… “it can be difficult and cause pain, and your condition can worsen before it improves, but if you go consistency and work hard when you’re there, you’ll get the kinks out and function so much better.”
⁣
⁣I can SO relate to this (and many other parts of the book) from my own therapy journey. When I first started going to therapy after a couple difficult life events, I would leave my sessions feeling so much sadder than when I arrived. I remember thinking, what’s the point of this if it just makes me so overwhelmed and sad. However, over time, those overwhelming feelings began to lessen and I grew to look forward to my sessions and would leave feeling like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

You should definitely read this book (and go to therapy!)