Lori Gottlieb
A psychotherapist facing her own unexpected crisis sits on a colleague's couch, struggling to take off her therapist's hat and face her own vulnerability.
Growth requires wise compassion that tells the truth with care, rather than comforting people in ways that protect the very patterns hurting them.
People use defenses like anger, numbness, and distraction to avoid pain, loneliness, grief, and uncertainty.
Therapy does not mainly give advice; it helps people see their own self-defeating patterns more clearly and take responsibility for their choices.