Every Day Gets a Little Closer: A Twice-Told Therapy

“The Chronicles of Healing” is a unique literary experiment that lets you look at the process of psychotherapeutic treatment from two perspectives at once. American psychiatrist Irvin Yalom suggested to his patient Ginni Elkin that she write post-session reports as a way to get out of a creative crisis. At the same time, he himself began to keep a diary of their weekly meetings. Every six months, the doctor and the patient exchanged the results, aiming for a positive therapeutic effect. Over two years of such communication, memories were supplemented with associations, thoughts, and emotions of both participants that emerged during sessions. The result is this literary work, which combines features of an epistolary novel, a clinical report, and a book about psychotherapy for anxiety and art block. In the end, it was the trusting atmosphere of close communication with a doctor who became a co-author, and then even a close friend, that helped Ginni complete the healing journey and put her life back on track.