Hour of the Heart

A deeply moving psychotherapy memoir and revealing chronicle of the challenges and breakthroughs that come from a wholly new practice of one-hour, one-time-only sessions, from one of the most prominent psychotherapists of our time

Facing memory loss at age ninety-three as well as the fallout from a global pandemic that moved much of daily life online, legendary psychotherapist and bestselling author Irvin D. Yalom was forced to vastly reconsider the shape of his sessions with patients. Rather than throw in the towel in the face of change, Dr. Yalom considered head-on the limitations imposed by these new realities and revolutionized his practice. Turning his focus to what might be achieved in a one-hour, one-time-only meeting between patient and practitioner, Dr. Yalom employed an even more concerted use of his “here and now” approach.

In Hour of the Heart, Yalom recounts some of these intense, life-changing sessions, exploring an array of human predicaments through the lens of existential psychotherapy and his own late-career development as a therapist. In recounting these consultations, he shows how a therapist’s willingness to be open helps patients let down their own guards, leading to a deeper and more immediate connection—one necessary to achieving profound realizations in just sixty minutes. This vulnerability led Yalom to disclose details about his personal life that he might previously have kept hidden from patients, including his traumatic childhood in Washington, DC, the evolution of his thinking about philosophy and psychotherapy, and his personal experience with grief and loss after the recent death of his wife. Throughout, he pushes the boundaries of self-revelation to strengthen the therapeutic relationship.

Life is precious and our time together short. Written in collaboration with his son, Hour of the Heart shows us how to forge deeper human connection in the moment, with more honesty and vulnerability. That hour of connection, occurring during a time of isolation and grief for so many, helped to sustain both patient and therapist, and enriched Yalom’s vision of what psychotherapy can do.

This profound book offers a rare look into the heart of therapy, exploring:
Aging and Memory Loss: Dr. Yalom’s candid reflections on facing his own cognitive decline and how it forced him to revolutionize a six-decade-long practice.The Art of Self-Disclosure: A master therapist’s guide to using personal stories—including the death of his wife, Marilyn—not as a distraction, but as a bridge to deeper connection with patients.The "Here and Now" in Practice: An intense focus on single-session consultations, showing how profound breakthroughs are possible when both therapist and patient commit to being fully present.A Father-Son Collaboration: A unique literary partnership that blends a lifetime of wisdom with fresh insight, written with his son Benjamin as Yalom’s own memory began to fade.