The confessions of Irvin Yalom

Irvin Yalom , perhaps the world’s most famous psychotherapist, began an experiment that ran contrary to received wisdom in his field.

He began offering patients single, hour -long sessions focused not on the past but on creating a deep personal encounter in the present.

He invited patients to ask him questions about his childhood as the son of Jewish immigrants in 1930s Chicago , his grief over the recent death of his wife of 65 years , his fears over his own mortality.

Psychotherapist Richard Yalom developed a distinctive approach to individual therapy.

He believes that at the root of most human suffering are difficulties forming I-Thou’ relationships, in which we engage others as autonomous beings rather than objects or tools.

The 1989 publication of Love’s Executioner , a collection of nonfiction stories, brough his ideas to an international audience of millions .

Research suggests we spend less time in face-to-face interaction than any previous generation.

Growing isolation appears to be driven less by a lack of social opportunities than by choice.

We seem to find the risk and friction of interpersonal contact increasingly unpalatable.

In the coming age of AI therapy, we will increasingly turn to screens to treat emotional problems associated with our screen-based lifestyles.