cylite's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Chronic illness
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
katonthejellicoe's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
"we are mirrors reflecting mirrors reflecting mirrors, showing one another what we can’t yet see." —lori gottlieb, maybe you should talk to someone
this book is one of the most overwhelming yet soul-awakening reads that i have ever read in my entire life and though i had to pause it for five months, the impact had been the same.
to sum it up, this is a memoir of a woman in her 40s as she juggles the role of being a therapist and a client herself. it examines the different themes of self-discovery and exploration; of loss and grief; of various ways we express love and affection; of telling our truths and baring our souls; and of living and dying.
this, as the quote says, is a 400-page narration of people reflecting themselves as mirrors of others. and as a reader, i wasn't an exemption. it felt like the author have seen through my soul and wrote a story about me or it was as if she LIVED through me. to add, it was very inspiring and informative to me as someone who aspires to be a professional psychologist some day.
overall, this was honest and thought-provoking yet hilarous writing of a person who is just like us, human—with the entirety of its beauty, joy, suffering, and pain.
this book is one of the most overwhelming yet soul-awakening reads that i have ever read in my entire life and though i had to pause it for five months, the impact had been the same.
to sum it up, this is a memoir of a woman in her 40s as she juggles the role of being a therapist and a client herself. it examines the different themes of self-discovery and exploration; of loss and grief; of various ways we express love and affection; of telling our truths and baring our souls; and of living and dying.
this, as the quote says, is a 400-page narration of people reflecting themselves as mirrors of others. and as a reader, i wasn't an exemption. it felt like the author have seen through my soul and wrote a story about me or it was as if she LIVED through me. to add, it was very inspiring and informative to me as someone who aspires to be a professional psychologist some day.
overall, this was honest and thought-provoking yet hilarous writing of a person who is just like us, human—with the entirety of its beauty, joy, suffering, and pain.
aggie889's review against another edition
5.0
I got this book as an audiobook just for background noise while I do housework or mundane tasks. I was surprised to find myself completely engrossed by Lori's story. She writes about pain and weakness with such authenticity that it's hard not to root for her (and dream about doing extensive physical harm to her boyfriend who recently dumped her.)
Lori takes you on a journey through her own personal therapy journey with Wendell - which is a hard journey to undertake as a therapist - and interweaves it with the journeys she is taking with her clients.
This is one of the rare books I would even venture out to read or listen to again.
5 stars
Lori takes you on a journey through her own personal therapy journey with Wendell - which is a hard journey to undertake as a therapist - and interweaves it with the journeys she is taking with her clients.
This is one of the rare books I would even venture out to read or listen to again.
5 stars
ottiedottie's review against another edition
5.0
4.5?
I don't know how I could begin talking about this book. Initially I remember feeling deeply uncomfortable hearing a therapist's real view of her patients. It is something I have to come to reject or see as extremely unprofessional. However, once I got over that, I was able to make sense of what goes on in a therapy session from both sides, how different personalities react to their pain and trauma in different unsavoury manners and how the therapist is performing a delicate dance while also keeping their distance. It made me appreciate that one does not come into this line of work without a deep love for people. It made me have more empathy for people who seem like assholes on the surface. Most likely that performance is just a defense mechanism because of genetic and environmental factors. But most importantly, it made me trust in my own process when it comes to therapy.
And now I'm just left with more fuel to introspect and with an overflowing handful of quotes from this book that will stay with me for some time to come.
I'll leave this review with ones that made me think.
"Each week, [the patients] push themselves harder than Olympic athletes, and it's a privilege to be part of that process."
"Therapy elicits odd reactions because in a way, it's like pornography. Both involve a kind of nudity. Both have the potential to thrill. And both have millions of users, most of whom keep their use private."
I don't know how I could begin talking about this book. Initially I remember feeling deeply uncomfortable hearing a therapist's real view of her patients. It is something I have to come to reject or see as extremely unprofessional. However, once I got over that, I was able to make sense of what goes on in a therapy session from both sides, how different personalities react to their pain and trauma in different unsavoury manners and how the therapist is performing a delicate dance while also keeping their distance. It made me appreciate that one does not come into this line of work without a deep love for people. It made me have more empathy for people who seem like assholes on the surface. Most likely that performance is just a defense mechanism because of genetic and environmental factors. But most importantly, it made me trust in my own process when it comes to therapy.
And now I'm just left with more fuel to introspect and with an overflowing handful of quotes from this book that will stay with me for some time to come.
I'll leave this review with ones that made me think.
"Each week, [the patients] push themselves harder than Olympic athletes, and it's a privilege to be part of that process."
"Therapy elicits odd reactions because in a way, it's like pornography. Both involve a kind of nudity. Both have the potential to thrill. And both have millions of users, most of whom keep their use private."
leashy159's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who truly believes in the importance of mental health, I found this book fascinating. I enjoyed the audiobook.
jpr2377's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0