The Heart Moves in a Circular Direction: A Story of Healing

by Ingeborg Gubler Casey

An insightful and moving account, The Heart Moves in a Circular Direction tells the story of Ingeborg Gubler Casey, nicknamed "Biby," who must come to terms with her mother's mental illness even as she battles fears that she will succumb to the same disease. While growing up, Biby shares her mother's delusional world but as a teen, conversations with her mother leave her in turmoil. After entering college, Biby tries to focus on her future. She cuts off contact with her mother, and, in her attempts to ward off guilt and anxiety, pretends she has no mother. When her older sister returns for a visit, they decide to visit their mother together. After an absence of ten years, Biby must summon all her courage to face her mother. Despite becoming a psychologist, she has little understanding of her own emotions, especially her conflicting feelings about her mother. After her father's death, as Biby re-engages with her mother, she finds herself embarked on a turbulent journey of self-discovery. She emerges more whole, and, as she begins to truly understand the depth of her legacy, she is brought closer to her mother.

228 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Ingeborg Gubler Casey (1938–2011) was an American clinical psychologist. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she enrolled at Shimer College at the age of 15 through the early entrance program. She later transferred to the University of Wisconsin, where she first studied mathematics and modern dance before embarking on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, which she completed in 1967. Her memoir The Heart Moves in a Circular Direction chronicles the lifelong work of overcoming her own psychological issues, particularly her relationship with her schizophrenic mother. (from Shimer College Wiki)

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved it. She's a wonderful writer and says so many true things. Like the way she says that she and her sister felt they weren't entitled to feelings. It would be selfish when Mama's suffering was so much worse. (Their mother was mentally ill.)

I was also delighted to find that she went into therapy with Carl Whitaker, as he is a hero of mine too! I have read and reread his books, and they are wonderful.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good personal story about growing up with a schizophrenic mother and having to put her emotional issues together as an adult. As a social worker, I have worked with schizophrenic parents and know of the difficulty they have in relating to everyone, including their children. So neat to hear it from the other point of view.

I would freak out if she was my mother and wrote about her sexual issues in relating to boyfriends, her first "open" marriage! Told in truth and in a way to help guide others who are similarly emotionally stuck in the paralyzing ruts.

Second half of the book focuses on therapy that helped her to move on from her childhood blocks and how to look at her mother from a different view.