Untangling - by Joan K Peters (Paperback)

About the Book

The first in-depth account of the author's experience undergoing psychoanalysis. Real, meticulously detailed, unputdownable, and endlessly inspiring, Untangling is a journey into the human psyche as never seen before.

Book Synopsis

With the drama of a novel, Untangling: A Memoir of Psychoanalysis tells the story of a turbulent and transformative psychoanalysis in this first ever in-depth patient's account. Joan K. Peters's story lays bare the inner workings of this complex treatment, which takes place behind closed doors, is rarely spoken about, and is largely unknown outside of professional circles. A polished, poetic, and often funny writer, Peters's willingness to expose her own demons brings psychoanalysis to life, from the intense strife to the fierce love that can develop between patient and analyst. Joan's first analyst, Lane, helped Joan alleviate tormenting and recurring nightmares and to find herself by discovering her family's secret past. Her second analyst, Kristi, guided her through the frightening depths of that past to a yearned-for freedom. In another first, Kristi writes an afterword about the challenge of analyzing Peters. Unique in its reach, Untangling reveals the mysteries that lurk beneath the surface of our psyches.

Review Quotes

A compelling memoir as well as an unusually in-depth therapeutic narrative that promises the possibility of redemption from early trauma at any age ... A stirring book that will be of interest to readers of memoirs about mental health or Jewish life, but also relevant to clinicians seeking a patient's perspective.
Library Journal

An intriguing look at the experience of psychoanalysis and a thoroughly examined life.
Booklist

This is absolutely a book about transformation, but it's anything but precious. It's also an incredibly rare look at the process of psychoanalysis from the point of view of the patient (or the analysand), and not the doctor... Untangling offers a great modern self-portrait of a woman finding her footing after decades of private turmoil.
Good Men Project

About the Author

Joan K. Peters is professor emeritus of literature and writing at California State University at Channel Islands. She has published a novel, Manny and Rose, two books on the psychology and politics of working mothers, When Mothers Work and Not Your Mother's Life, as well as stories and literary criticism. As a feminist spokesperson, she's appeared on Dr. Phil, The View, Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC, NBC Weekend News, and was writer and host for Working Mothers: Balance without Guilt, CPTV, Connecticut PBS (1999). She lives with her husband, dogs, and chickens in California.