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Momma and the Meaning of Life: Tales of Psychotherapy

by Irvin D. Yalom

Six psychotherapy tales that include the therapist’s own inner life

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Six psychotherapy tales that include the therapist’s own inner life

In six stories drawn from clinical experience, Irvin D. Yalom examines psychotherapy as a relationship shaped by both patient and therapist. The collection moves through concerns including death, confidentiality, longing, sorrow, and the pressure of parental love entwined with disapproval. Patients such as Paula, Myrna, Magnolia, and Momma’s son provide distinct points of entry into those encounters, while Yalom also includes his own dreams, thoughts, and emotional responses. That dual perspective keeps the focus on the uncertainties and possibilities that emerge inside the consulting room, where personal histories and the therapeutic bond continually affect one another.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in psychotherapy and counseling
  • Those curious about therapist–patient relationships
  • Fans of narrative case-based psychology

Themes

PsychotherapyTherapeutic relationshipsDeath and mortalityConfidentialityFamily dynamics

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Bestselling author of Love's Executioner and The Gift of Therapy, psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom probes further into the mysteries of the therapeutic encounter in this entertaining and thoughtful collection.

In six enthralling stories drawn from his own clinical experience, Irvin D. Yalom once again proves himself an intrepid explorer of the human psyche as he guides his patients--and himself--toward transformation. With eloquent detail and sharp-eyed observation Yalom introduces us to a memorable cast of characters. Drifting through his dreams and trampling through his thoughts are Paula, Yalom's "courtesan of death"; Myrna, whose eavesdropping gives new meaning to patient confidentiality; Magnolia, into whose ample lap Yalom longs to pour his own sorrows, even as he strives to ease hers; and Momma--ill-tempered, overpowering, and suffocating her son with both love and disapproval.

A richly rewarding, almost illicit glimpse into the therapist's heart and mind, Momma and the Meaning of Life illuminates the unique potential of every human relationship.

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