[ruiner]

If you know of or have read any, post 'em here!



<--- all of us chillin' in therapy book club.

[stopdog]

These are some of the ones I have read:

Getting Started- Joel Koten
Termination in Psychotherapy - Joyce, Piper, Klein
Positive Endings in Psychotherapy- Steven Kramer
Terminating Therapy- Davis
Good enough Endings – Salberg
Endings in Clinical Practice -Walsh
Psychoanalytic Diagnosis - McWilliams
Being a Brainwise Therapist - Badenoch
Ariadne’s Thread -Cowan
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - Ursono
Trauma – Herman
The Talking Cure - Vaughan

How Psychotherapy Really Works - Gaylin

Psychodynamic Techniques – Maroda
Psychodynamic Therapy – Summers and Barber
Attachment in Psychotherapy-Wallin
Trauma and the Avoidant Client – Wallin
Will I Ever Be Good Enough – McBride
Affect Intolerance in Patient and Analyst - Coen
Modes of Therapeutic Action – M. Stark
The Gift of Therapy – Yalom
Between Therapist and Client: The New Relationship – Kahn

The Trauma Myth: The Truth About the Sexual Abuse of Children--and its Aftermath -Susan A. Clancy

In Session: The Bond Between Women and Their Therapists- Lott

Drama of the Gifted Child – Miller
For Your Own Good – Miller
Shame and Guilt – Tangney
Shame in the Therapy Hour – Dearing and Tangney
Psychology of Shame – Kaufman

[musial]

Hi ruiner! I highly recommend "Shopenhauer's Porcupines" by Deborah Anna Luepnitz.
Here's the summary:

"Are human beings destined to find perfect complements in love, or are we more like the fabled porcupines-forever jostling for a place between painful entanglement and loveless isolation? This is the question at the heart of this stunning new book. "People seek therapy only when things have gone terribly wrong in their lives," observes Deborah Luepnitz, one of the field's most gifted psychotherapists and a writer of uncommon talent. "They arrive in the grip of a death wish or some unspeakable obsession, but what is at stake always turns out to be intimacy-the endless dilemmas of loyalty and desire." Schopenhauer's Porcupines recounts five stories from Luepnitz's practice, with patients who range from the super-rich to the homeless-as they grapple with panic attacks, psychosomatic illness, marital despair, and sexual recklessness. We watch their therapy unfold week-to-week, from the first phone call to the final sessions, as these men and women learn, in the words of one poet, "to make room in love for hate."Written with wry humor and deep compassion, Schopenhauer's Porcupines goes further than any other book in unveiling the secrets of "how talking helps." Its wisdom and intelligence will appeal to readers everywhere who are reaching for psychological renewal and want to go beyond "quick-fix" cures."

This was one of those books that I enjoyed from start to finish, and was sad when it ended. The therapy stories told by the author are so touching and encouraging to read as a patient.

[Partless]

Good idea for a thread.

Haven't read any books recently but an old one that was somewhat helpful to me:

Emotional Blackmail by Susan Forward

[Partless]

Originally Posted by stopdog

These are some of the ones I have read....

Wow that's a long list. Of the ones you read, which do you actually recommend?

[stopdog]

I supose it depends on what someone is looking to find out. For me out of that list, the Susan Clancy, Herman, and Alice Miller were the most useful. I despised several of the oher authors.
I have read a lot more but these are the ones already compiled in an easily postable list.

[Partless]

Thanks. As far as Clancy, though I have not read it, I heard it was a controversial book, arguing that sexual abuse of children does not lead to trauma. But she has pretty good credentials and assuming that is her thesis, she probably cites a lot of research in support of that conclusion.

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by Partless

Thanks. As far as Clancy, though I have not read it, I heard it was a controversial book, arguing that sexual abuse of children does not lead to trauma. But she has pretty good credentials and assuming that is her thesis, she probably sites a lot of research in support of that conclusion.

That is not what her book was about at all. I too have read where people thought that was what the book was about - usually from people who had not read the book. It most assuredly did not argue csa is not traumatic. It was the only book I found that related at all to my childhood experience.

[ThingWithFeathers]

For trauma related books, I would look at Judith Herman, John Briere or Babette Rothschild.

[Chartres]

I have found "In Session" that Stopdog referenced to be useful to me when I was trying to understand transference. Not everything in that book resonated with me but enough that gave me insight into the process. I found I was more able to relax into trusting my T while also maintaining my own boundaries after reading that book.

I have had several people recommend to me Drama of the Gifted Child, but have not read it.

For incest, I benefited from Miss America by Day, written by a former Miss America who was sexually abused by her father. There are definitely things about that book that I don't like, but it was helpful to me at a critical stage in my progress.

I'm curious about The Trauma Myth book. I just looked the description up on Amazon and there are parts of it that immediately make sense to me. For the most part, I do not feel afraid of my abuser, but confused by the complete and total denial that surrounded the abuse. I might check this book out.

[ruiner]

Yo thank you everyone! It looks like I have my work cut out for me

I'll add one as well. My T and I are currently reading this.
Building The Bonds Of Attachment - Daniel A. Hughes

"Building the Bonds of Attachment focuses on both the specialized psychotherapy and parenting that is often necessary in facilitating a child's psychological development and attachment security."

If you're interested in something quite fun but also quite poignant and interesting, I gave recently read "Counselling For Toads - A Psychological Adventure" by Robert De Board.
The premise is that the character Toad from the children's story "Wind In The Willows" goes to counselling. It's not a long book, and not too taxing, but I did learn from it and it's written really nicely too.

[SabinaS]

Loved this book:

The Examined Life: How we Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz

Also, another vote for: In Session by Deborah Lott

[SabinaS]

oh forgot, 'Why Love Matters' - Sue Gerhardt. Totally mind blowing!

[JustShakey]

I loved A General Theory of Love. (no pun intended)

[JaneC]

Originally Posted by JustShakey

I loved A General Theory of Love. (no pun intended)

My therapist gave me his copy of this to read. I really liked it, although it took some getting used to the poetical style, it was a joy at times to read.

[JustShakey]

Originally Posted by JaneC

My therapist gave me his copy of this to read. I really liked it, although it took some getting used to the poetical style, it was a joy at times to read.

That's what I loved about it. It was kind of Tolkien-meets-Carl Sagan.