Hi Nigel,

You're right.  Psychotherapy isn't an exact science and that book sounds like a compelling read.  What I've discovered about therapy is that there are so many flavors out there, mixed in with the personalities of the therapists themselves, plus their own personal beliefs, and an endless variety of weird thinking, that it becomes a veritable mine field of decision-making just to find someone "who's right" for you to work with.  And that ain't a cheap undertaking.

What's worse is that (at least in the U.S.) anyone can get a degree then hang a shingle on their office door and practice pseudoscience and impart ju-ju and other new age beliefs and practices -- such as Reiki -- the list is endless. 

The thing about therapy and being in a cult, having been in a cult, or having a spouse who is in a cult, is that the vast majority of psychotherapists don't know jack shit about cults, coercive persuasion, and the dynamics of cultic behavior.  They simply don't have a clue.

And forget about psychoanalysis, which is the Freudian method.  The analysts don't even look the analysand (that's the client) in the eyes. The analysand lies on a couch for the duration of their therapy, that could be years and years and years.  The analysand does most of the talking too, which to me, is a huge waste of time and money.

If one has money and lots of it, therapy can become a religion and a interminable dependency upon the therapist.

Having said all of that, there are many good, solid-headed, trained therapists who can and do help people who are so ill that they are unable to live and function in the world.  Getting on their waiting list is easy -- the waiting is the hard part.

Therapy is just not a panacea, that's all.

Love,

Cynth