Hour of the Heart: Connecting in the Here and Now

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 global 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. Working within new constraints, Dr. Yalom learned to build greater intimacy much faster than in traditional therapy—a gift of circumstance.

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. For Yalom, that vulnerability meant allowing himself to reveal details of his personal life, from his childhood in Washington, DC with immigrant parents, to the recent death of his wife, and questions about the work of psychotherapy in our lives outside the appointment.

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—not only as patients and practitioners, but in every area of life.

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