Irvin D. Yalom – författare

Ett av Yaloms mest älskade verk – bästsäljare på New York Times lista.

Den erkände och populäre psykoterapeuten Irvin D. Yalom berättar med djup insikt och inlevelse om tio patienter. Berättelserna är skrivna som skönlitteratur men bygger på verkliga terapiförlopp. Patienterna sökte hjälp för vanliga problem som ensamhet, självförakt, impotens, migrän, sexuella tvångstankar, övervikt, högt blodtryck, sorg, kärleksbesatthet, humörsvängningar och depression.

Yalom visar i dessa fallstudier att specifika psykiska problem ofta har sin grund i existentiella kval. Han kopplar dem till fyra grundläggande villkor: “Dödens oundviklighet för oss själva och våra kära; friheten att forma våra liv som vi vill; den ensamhet som i slutändan är varje människas lott; och slutligen avsaknaden av någon förutbestämd mening med livet.”

Helandet sker genom insikten att psykiska problem uppstår när vi försöker förtränga dessa existentiella villkor. Yalom menar att även om dessa villkor kan verka skrämmande, bär de också fröet till visdom och befrielse. Hans hopp är att dessa tio berättelser ska visa att det är möjligt att möta dessa sanningar och använda dem som drivkraft för personlig utveckling.

Kärlekens bödel var Yaloms första skönlitterära verk som kompletterade hans facklitterära författarskap. I sin självbiografi Becoming Myself (2017) berättar han hur han brukade krydda sina akademiska texter med små berättelser till glädje för studenterna. Efter ett krävande år med revidering av sin bok om gruppterapi och ett års akademisk tjänstledighet 1987, bestämde han sig för att pröva sina skönlitterära förmågor Resultatet blev dessa tio berättelser, som blev starten på en lång rad populära verk om psykoterapi och filosofer som Nietzsche, Schopenhauer och Spinoza.

“Dr Yalom visar återigen att terapi, i rätt händer, har samma fängslande kraft som den rikaste och mest uppfinningsrika skönlitteraturen.” – New York Times

“Dr. Yalom ger en värdefull inblick i den känsliga terapiprocessen.” – Sunday Telegraph

“Kärlekens bödel är en av de sällsynta böcker som fångar både mysteriet och poesin i den psykoterapeutiska processen.” – Erica Jong

“Yalom skriver som en ängel om de demoner som hemsöker oss. Dessa vackert formulerade sanna berättelser är mer än terapi – de är gripande livsberättelser.” – Rollo MayIrvin D. Yalom (född 1931) är en amerikansk psykiater, författare och professor emeritus i psykiatri vid Stanford University. Yaloms kritikerrosade författarskap omfattar både facklitteratur och skönlitteratur. Hans böcker har översatts till över 25 språk. Hans klassiska facklitterära verk inkluderar The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (1970) och Existential Psychotherapy (1980). 

Terapins gåva är ett öppet brev till en ny generation terapeuter och deras patienter. Med en djup och varm humanism sammanfattar Irvin D Yalom sin långa och mycket framgångsrika karriär som terapeut.

Läsaren kan följa en terapis förlopp i fallvinjetter som är ögonblicksbilder ur Yaloms egna kliniska verksamhet och samtidigt möta frågeställningar som alltid måste dyka upp i kontakten mellan människor.

Författaren ger många goda råd, men för samtidigt en diskussion med läsaren om olika sätt att möta den terapeutiska vardagen. Yalom vill undvika dogmatiska låsningar och söker hela tiden avmystifiera både den psykoterapeutiska verksamheten och terapins språk.   

What makes life worth living? What can we do to lead meaningful lives? And how do we confront our inevitable end? In his long career, eminent psychotherapist and author Irvin Yalom has pressed his patients and readers to grapple with life''s two greatest challenges: that we all must die, and that each of us is responsible for leading a life worth living. In Creatures of a Day, he and his patients face the difficulty of these challenges. Although these people have come to Yalom seeking relief, recognition, or meaning, he and they discover that such things are rarely found in the places where we think to look. Like Love''s Executioner and Yalom''s other writing, Creatures of a Day provides an intelligent, compassionate, yet still unflinching look at the human soul and all the pain, confusion, and hope that go with it. The power of these stories is amplified by Yalom''s reflections on his own life as he reckons with its inevitable end. Suffused with humor, great artistry, and a profound humanity, Creatures of a Day lays bare the necessary task we each face, each day, to make our own lives meaningful.

Bestselling author of THE GIFT OF THERAPY and STARING AT THE SUN, psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom probes 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.

''When Yalom publishes something - anything - I buy it, and he never disappoints. He''s an amazing storyteller, a gorgeous writer, a great, generous, compassionate thinker, and - quite rightly - one of the world''s most influential mental healthcare practitioners'' Nicola Barker, Guardian Best Books of 2017''Wonderful, compelling and as insightful about its subject and about the times he lived in as you could hope for. A fabulous read'' Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for StoneIrvin D. Yalom has made a career of investigating the lives of others. In Becoming Myself, his long-awaited memoir, he turns his therapeutic eye on himself, delving into the relationships that shaped him and the groundbreaking work that made him famous.The first-generation child of immigrant Russian Jews, Yalom grew up in a lower-class neighbourhood in Washington DC. Determined to escape its confines, he set his sights on becoming a doctor. An incredible ascent followed: we witness his start at Stanford Medical School amid the cultural upheavals of the 1960s, his turn to writing fiction as a means of furthering his exploration of the human psyche and his rise to international prominence.Yalom recounts his revolutionary work in group psychotherapy and how he became the foremost practitioner of existential psychotherapy, a method that draws on the wisdom of great thinkers over the ages. He reveals the inspiration for his many seminal books, including Love''s Executioner and When Nietzche Wept, which meld psychology and philosophy to arrive at arresting new insights into the human condition. Interweaving the stories of his most memorable patients with personal tales of love and regret, Becoming Myself brings readers close to Yalom''s therapeutic technique, his writing process and his family life.

''Wise, beautiful, heartbreaking, raw'' The Times''A beacon of hope to all of us who will be bereaved'' Kathryn Mannix''An unforgettable and achingly beautiful story of enduring love'' Lori GottleibInternationally renowned psychiatrist and author Irvin Yalom has devoted his career to counselling those suffering from anxiety and grief. But never had he faced the need to counsel himself until his wife, esteemed feminist author Marilyn Yalom, was diagnosed with cancer. In A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE, Marilyn and Irvin share how they took on profound new struggles: Marilyn to die a good death, Irvin to live on without her.In alternating accounts of their last months together and Irvin''s first months alone, they offer us a rare window into coping with death and the loss of one''s beloved. The Yaloms had rare blessings - a loving family, a beautiful home, a large circle of friends, avid readers around the world, and a long, fulfilling marriage - but they faced death as we all do. With the candour and wisdom of those who have thought deeply and loved well, they investigate universal questions of intimacy, love, and grief.Informed by two lifetimes of experience, A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE offers poignant insights and solace to all those seeking to fight despair in the face of death, so that they can live meaningfully.

A deeply moving and revealing chronicle, from one of the most prominent psychotherapists of our time, of working under wholly new circumstances, and the challenges and breakthroughs he''s made as he takes on patients for one hour, one time only.Facing memory loss at age 93, as well as the fallout from a pandemic that moved much of daily life online, legendary psychotherapist and bestselling author Irvin Yalom was forced to vastly reconsider the shape of his sessions with patients. But rather than throw in the towel in the face of change, Dr Yalom considered the limitations imposed by these new realities head on, and revolutionized his practice. Dr Yalom wondered if perhaps his own practice could focus deeply on the work that could be achieved in a one-hour, one-time meeting between patient and practitioner-employing an even more concerted use of his "here and now" approach. As he began these one-time sessions, the beloved veteran therapist found himself freed to reach ever deeper places with new patients on a shortened timeline, without the buffer of future appointments.In HOUR OF THE HEART, Yalom recounts some of these intense, life-changing consultations, exploring an array of human predicaments, and his own late-career development as a therapist. In recounting these consultations, he shows how a therapist''s willingness to be open themselves helps the patient let down their own guard, leading to a deeper and more immediate connection-one necessary to achieve profound realizations in just sixty minutes.Life is precious and our time together short. HOUR OF THE HEART shows us how to relate to each other better in the moment, with more honesty and vulnerability. That hour of connection, occurring during a time of isolation and grief for so many, helped to sustain both patient and therapist, and enriched Yalom''s vision of what psychotherapy can do. This transformative account of a new way of connecting and sharing is for all of us looking to build relationships with greater immediacy, authenticity, and openness-in every area of life.

Once we confront our own mortality, Dr. Yalom writes, we are inspired to rearrange our priorities, communicate more deeply with those we love, appreciate more keenly the beauty of life, and increase our willingness to take the risks necessary for personal fulfillment.

THE GIFT OF THERAPY is the culmination of master psychiatrist Dr Irvin Yalom''s thirty-five years'' work as a therapist, illustrating through real case studies how patients and therapists alike can get the most out of therapy. Presented as eighty-five ''tips'' for ''beginner therapists'', Yalom shares his own fresh approach and the insights he has gained while treating his patients. Personal, and sometimes provocative, Yalom makes some unorthodox suggestions, including: Let the patient matter to you; Acknowledge your errors; Create a new therapy for each patient; Make home visits; (Almost) never make decisions for a patient; and Freud was not always wrong. This is an entertaining, informative and insightful read for both beginners and more experienced therapists, patients, students and everyone with an interest in the subject.

Each person fears death in their own way. Despite turning to the comforts of children, or wealth, or belief in a higher power, death anxiety is never completely subdued: it is always there, lurking in the hidden ravines of our minds.In STARING AT THE SUN, master psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom faces his own fear of death and examines its role in many patients'' fears, stresses and depression. With characteristic wisdom and illuminating case histories, he shows how confronting and coping with death allows us to live in a richer, more compassionate way.

A year-long journey by the renowned psychiatrist and his writer wife after her terminal diagnosis, as they reflect on how to love and live without regret.

Internationally acclaimed psychiatrist and author Irvin Yalom devoted his career to counseling those suffering from anxiety and grief. But never had he faced the need to counsel himself until his wife, esteemed feminist author Marilyn Yalom, was diagnosed with cancer. In A Matter of Death and Life, Marilyn and Irv share how they took on profound new struggles: Marilyn to die a good death, Irv to live on without her.

In alternating accounts of their last months together and Irv''s first months alone, they offer us a rare window into facing mortality and coping with the loss of one''s beloved. The Yaloms had numerous blessings—a loving family, a Palo Alto home under a magnificent valley oak, a large circle of friends, avid readers around the world, and a long, fulfilling marriage—but they faced death as we all do. With the wisdom of those who have thought deeply, and the familiar warmth of teenage sweethearts who''ve grown up together, they investigate universal questions of intimacy, love, and grief.

Informed by two lifetimes of experience, A Matter of Death and Life is an openhearted offering to anyone seeking support, solace, and a meaningful life.