The Talking Cure: The Science Behind Psychotherapy

by Susan C. Vaughan

Vaughan, Susan C., M.D. Many therapists and their patients find that the traditional talking therapy still offers the best hope for long-term relief from depression and other psychological ailments. This is especially true for people who worry about the side effects of Prozac and other similar drugs. Now Dr. Susan Vaughan offers compelling evidence, based on new scientific research, that the process of talking with a trained therapist actually alters the way the brain's neurons are connected and effects permanent, positive changes in how we interact with the world.

Dr. Vaughan interweaves stories from therapy sessions with cutting-edge research results. She shows how interpreting dreams, free-associating, and attention to childhood experiences have an impact on the structure of our brain. Anyone who, for one reason or another, questions the value of long-term drug therapy will welcome the alternative approach presented here.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Science

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 1997

Reviews

[Erin O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful and true. Bit too real so I had to limit myself to one chapter at a time. Everyone should read this

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

While not quite the book I was expecting, this was nevertheless an excellent book. It is based on the premise that psychotherapy can make long-lasting changes in the neurons that make up your mind, and in the pathways between them.

Just as taking psychiatric medications can change your brain – at least temporarily – undergoing talk therapy can make changes in your neural pathways. It will likely take longer but may be more permanent in the long run. She gives case histories and cites numerous examples of recent (as of the time of writing) studies illustrating this point.

And, in fact, in this book as in most of the other psychologically or psychiatrically oriented books I have read recently, it seems good psychiatric care is likely to involve a balance of both methods depending on what is appropriate to the person.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Susan Vaughan takes us on a journey through how psychoanalytic psychotherapy helps change our minds, and by extension, the way we live. She painstakingly and with a light, often humorous touch shows how the relationship and repeated contact between therapist and patient works better than Prozac as it sets down new pathways in the brain. Using research from the latest developments in neuroscience as well as revealing her own inner process while working with patients, she presents a variety of patient-therapist situations in which the reader sees the psychotherapeutic process at work. A good book for new therapy patients to read.

[Stepher · Rating 2 out of 5]

The science behind the concept of psychotherapy and why it can be effective was very interesting. The author/therapist who seemed to be almost mocking her clients was not.

[Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to Blink, integrates a lot of research and condenses into a highly readable book that makes sense of the psychotherapy process.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slim volume that could have been so much more. eh.
More science, less self-revalation, please.