Skip to main content
Displaying 1 of 1
And how does that make you feel? : everything you never wanted to know about therapy
2024
Where is it?
Large Cover Image
Trade Reviews
Kirkus Review
Intimate stories from behind the therapist's door. Fletcher, a UK-based psychotherapist and host of the podcasts Disordered and The Panic Pod, invites readers into the mystery-shrouded world of mental health from a practicing therapist's perspective. In a pleasing blend of humor and education, Fletcher presents four case studies alongside stories of his own personal experiences with anxiety, offering a fresh perspective on mental health. The multiple storylines reflect the nonlinear journey each patient living with anxiety takes, and the author allows readers to come along for the ride. Fletcher invites a vulnerability that is comparable to being in a therapist's office. "I includes spicy stories of conflict, tragedy and mistakes," he writes. "I include the stuff that's happening that few therapists would dare tell you about, as well as some stuff I wonder if I should have included at all. But if even a small part of you, after putting this book down, thinks that therapy seems more appealing or less scary, or that you're perhaps willing to mention therapy in casual conversation, then my main wish for this book will have been fulfilled." Indeed, Fletcher creates an empathetic space to reflect on anxiety and depression without judgment or critique, and he shows how different modalities in therapy can achieve varying results and that not all therapists are created equally--"which is why one of the biggest tragedies in the world of mental health, in my opinion, is the assumption that every therapist knows what they're doing….When it comes to the therapy modality and the therapeutic relationship, it must be a match." This practical book will be a match for readers interested in furthering their understanding of the many different avenues for addressing "our global mental health crisis." A humorous and encouraging journey into the world of effective therapy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Summary

Psychotherapist Josh Fletcher takes us on a tour of the inner mind of a therapist--revealing a hilariously candid point of view on the therapeutic process, a practical guide to therapy, and maybe a few more cobwebs and dark corners than one might expect. It's everything you ever wanted to know about therapy (and maybe a few things you didn't).

Trauma, heartbreak, anxiety, and mourning are all parts of the human experience, and Josh Fletcher's mission in life is to normalize the need to find a trusted professional with whom you can discuss all of life's scariest aspects. Through the lens of four of his patients--Daphne, a wildly successful actor who still struggles to find contentment; Levi, an intim­idating bouncer with obsessive tendencies who's trapped in a sex cult; Zahra, an anxious, people-pleasing doctor in the midst of unpacking serious trauma; and Noah, a shy newcomer with some major closet skeletons--you'll share in their self-discovery and recovery as they untangle themselves from an all-too-familiar web of emotions. In between sessions, Fletcher struggles to balance his own well-being with that of his patients as details from his sometimes messy but always heartfelt personal life reveal that therapists aren't immune to getting tripped up by the same hurdles as the rest of us.

And How Does That Make You Feel? is a primer on what to expect from therapy, how to find the right therapist, and the most common afflictions treated in therapy (such as depression, OCD, and panic attacks) as well as a darkly hilarious narrative about what's going on in your thera­pist's mind before, during, and after your session. Above all, it's filled with the promise that a better future is always possible . . . if we're willing to seek help and do the work.

Table of Contents
Introductionxiii
The Inner Voice of the Therapistxvii
1Daphne1
The Origins of Anxiety7
2Levi9
3High School Presentation Evening15
4Zahra17
Panic Attacks25
The Modality Wars26
5Harry: Portal30
6Noah33
Insta-therapy38
7Mayfield Depot: Manchester39
8Daphne43
Frame of Reference55
9Levi57
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder64
9Levi(cont.)66
Introjection70
10Zahra73
Exposure Therapy75
10Zahra (cont.)77
11Harry: Staying Up Late85
12Noah87
Social Anxiety90
12Noah (cont.)91
13Daphne98
Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn101
13Daphne (cont.)102
Emotional Conservatism112
14Harry: Under the Floodlights114
15Levi116
Exposure-Response Prevention119
15Levi (cont.)120
Self-Care128
16Zahra131
17Harry: The Boathouse143
18Noah146
Depression156
19Lidl158
20Daphne161
21Harry: Daytime Quiz Show174
22Levi179
Domestic Abuse189
23Speakeasy191
24Zahra197
25A Letter to My Anxiety208
26Harry: Big-Ring Doughnut212
27Noah217
When Therapy Isn't Working230
28Daphne234
29Vacuum Cleaner238
30Noah245
31Levi251
Endings262
32Harry: A Skip, a Flutter265
33Zahra269
34Keep Calm and Carry On285
The Beauty of Therapy291
35The Interview295
Acknowledgments299
Librarian's View
Displaying 1 of 1