Who Would Like This Book:
This memoir is a must-read for anyone fascinated by mental health, therapy, or personal transformation. Marsha Linehan's journey from patient to pioneering psychologist is both inspiring and deeply moving. If you're interested in DBT, the development of therapeutic approaches, or want to understand the lived experience behind groundbreaking mental health treatments, you'll find this book captivating. It's especially powerful for therapists, people with BPD or their loved ones, and anyone who enjoys stories of resilience and hope.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers felt the book was a bit disjointed or dry in parts, especially if they're not already invested in mental health or DBT. If you prefer fast-paced memoirs or aren’t interested in psychology or therapeutic concepts, this one might feel heavy or overly technical. Those searching for a detailed DBT skills manual might want to look elsewhere, as this focuses more on Marsha’s life and less on step-by-step therapeutic guidance.
About:
'Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir' by Marsha M. Linehan is a deeply personal account of the author's journey from her struggles with mental health issues, including suicidal ideation and depression, to becoming the developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Through the opinions shared by readers, it is evident that the book delves into Linehan's experiences at the Institute of Living, her development of DBT, and her spiritual journey that influenced her therapeutic approach. The writing style is described as riveting, powerful, and inspiring, with details that help solidify concepts and their origins in DBT.
Genres:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, mental illness, and institutionalization.
From The Publisher:
Marsha Linehan tells the story of her journey from suicidal teenager to world-renowned developer of the life-saving behavioral therapy DBT, using her own struggle to develop life skills for others.
"This book is a victory on both sides of the page."-Gloria Steinem
"Are you one of us?" a patient once asked Marsha Linehan, the world-renowned psychologist who developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy. "Because if you were, it would give all of us so much hope."
Over the years, DBT had saved the lives of countless people fighting depression and suicidal thoughts, but Linehan had never revealed that her pioneering work was inspired by her own desperate struggles as a young woman. Only when she received this question did she finally decide to tell her story.
In this remarkable and inspiring memoir, Linehan describes how, when she was eighteen years old, she began an abrupt downward spiral from popular teenager to suicidal young woman. After several miserable years in a psychiatric institute, Linehan made a vow that if she could get out of emotional hell, she would try to find a way to help others get out of hell too, and to build a life worth living. She went on to put herself through night school and college, living at a YWCA and often scraping together spare change to buy food. She went on to get her PhD in psychology, specializing in behavior therapy. In the 1980s, she achieved a breakthrough when she developed Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a therapeutic approach that combines acceptance of the self and ways to change. Linehan included mindfulness as a key component in therapy treatment, along with original and specific life-skill techniques. She says, "You can't think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking."
Throughout her extraordinary scientific career, Marsha Linehan remained a woman of deep spirituality. Her powerful and moving story is one of faith and perseverance. Linehan shows, in Building a Life Worth Living , how the principles of DBT really work-and how, using her life skills and techniques, people can build lives worth living.
Reader Stats (6):
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (5) |
What can you read after
Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir?
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
