Hour of the Heart

Connecting in the Here and Now

By: Irvin D. Yalom, Benjamin Yalom

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

A deeply moving and revealing chronicle of the challenges and breakthroughs that come from a wholly new practice of one-hour, one-time-only sessions, from one of the most prominent psychotherapists of our time

Facing memory loss at age ninety-three as well as the fallout from a global pandemic that moved much of daily life online, legendary psychotherapist and bestselling author Irvin D. Yalom was forced to vastly reconsider the shape of his sessions with patients. Rather than throw in the towel in the face of change, Dr. Yalom considered head-on the limitations imposed by these new realities and revolutionized his practice. Turning his focus to what might be achieved in a one-hour, one-time-only meeting between patient and practitioner, Dr. Yalom employed an even more concerted use of his “here and now” approach.

In Hour of the Heart, Yalom recounts some of these intense, life-changing sessions, 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 helps patients let down their own guards, leading to a deeper and more immediate connection—one necessary to achieving profound realizations in just sixty minutes. This vulnerability led Yalom to disclose details about his personal life that he might previously have kept hidden from patients, including his traumatic childhood in Washington, DC, the evolution of his thinking about philosophy and psychotherapy, and the recent death of his wife. Throughout, he pushes the boundaries of self-revelation as a therapeutic tool.

Life is precious and our time together short. Written in collaboration with his son, 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.

OMG! A Transparent Psychiatrist

Honest self-reflection of author.👍 Author does not claim his approach is a a ‘Magic Bullet’ and is willing to see when it fails.

Found wisdom & touching vulnerability

Perhaps this is best. The therapeutic encounters are described for such clarity and heart. The nugget helpfulness is explained. I have really touched by how my directional each story is helping the client and helping Yalom

SO happy I chose to read/listen to this!

Touching and meaningful for any clinician or just a fellow traveler! The reader's skill was warm and compelling too.

Yalom’s emphasis on the therapeutic relationship

This book was both educational and heart warming; helpful in my career as a therapist as well as inviting into the life of Irvin Yalom, a well-known and respected figure in my field. Very grateful to have this wisdom and warmth among us.

honesty

his style and approach are very important and worth hearing by a lay person