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A Chair with a View: Scenes of Heartbreak and Breakthrough in Psychotherapy
What do you see from a therapist's chair? For more than 15 years, David Sabine, Ph.D., has occupied that chair, helping to transform the lives of his patients dealing with their grief, regret, sadness, fear and longing. Only later did he realize that working with them had also transformed him. Come sit for a while in Dr. Sabine's chair, and listen with a careful ear as he reveals with pathos, shimmering clarity, and undeniable empathy the intimate stories of ten patients. You will hear the steady drumbeat of human courage. You will confront both the messiness and the heartbreaking beauty of being alive. Resonating with an affirmation of life, this is a book about the psychologist's relationship to his patient. How he impacts the patient but, more importantly, how the patient impacts him. It touches the heartstrings, giving the reader a real sense of what goes on behind the necessarily detached exterior of the psychologist. It is about the unavoidable connection that occurs, the humanity that is revealed.
- GenresPsychology
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 28, 2012
I was so tenderly touched by this book by Sabine..had not read anything like it. He readily admits to being affected by his patients as much as he affects and heals them. The interacts are real and authentic and heartbreakingly recorded in both their intimacy of joy,fear, regret, pain and and all the emotions in between. Watching his patients heal and transform themselves was awe inspiring. I loved his writing style and would love to read more from him... A great book.
July 9, 2013
Okay, so I might be a little biased since I wrote it. I hope you will enjoy it, but more than simple enjoyment, I hope you are challenged and moved by it.
I would love to hear from you here or at doc@docsabine.com if you have ideas, reactions, etc.
I would love to hear from you here or at doc@docsabine.com if you have ideas, reactions, etc.
March 23, 2012
Part memoir, part case book, and part introduction to psychotherapy, A Chair With a View is a bold, profoundly human, at times controversial, yet ultimately uplifting book that works on many levels.
Many of the stories in the book highlight how human struggle and darkness can be redeemed by authentic humanity, love, and, against all reason, hope and transcendence. Dr. Sabine acknowledges that suffering can indeed eclipse all hope at times, but he seems to say that if he and his clients are courageous, persistent, and faithful to each other and to the work, redeeming light can perhaps be found around the edges of the eclipse. The author’s own indomitably positive spirit shines through every story of this book, even while he engages the bleakest of client situations with unflinching honesty, and even as he acknowledges occasional feelings of powerlessness in the face of his clients’ most acute suffering. The contrast between Dr. Sabine’s essentially hopeful nature and the, at times, brutally difficult and seemingly hopeless struggles of some of his clients is one of the intriguing tensions of the book.
A former pastor, Dr. Sabine has been a licensed clinical psychologist for the past 18 years. While giving nods to the scientific basis of psychotherapy, Dr. Sabine’s therapeutic approach goes well beyond science in its emphasis on deeply authentic humanity, outside-of-the-box creativity, openness to mystery and moments of transcendence, and a case-specific willingness to go beyond the rigid boundaries of psychotherapeutic norms, if indicated and when the timing is right. Dr. Sabine is remarkably frank and self-effacing as he shares his process of working through treatment decisions, some of which, while thoroughly considered and obviously motivated by compassion, may strike readers as controversial.
The book is written primarily for a non-professional audience. Dr. Sabine clearly loves his work and feels privileged to share stories of his clients’ courageous struggles. And he seems to cherish the opportunity to let his readers in on what is for him the often wrenching, yet nevertheless beautiful vantage point that he enjoys as a psychotherapist. But even as he writes to non-professionals, one can sometimes sense him picking good-natured fights with his fellow clinicians, offering the occasional swipe at managed care and at the rigid application of empirically-based treatment methods. While the book’s primary aim is to touch people’s hearts and souls, it should also inspire lively and important ethical discussions on the part of professional and non-professional audiences alike.
A Chair with a View is ambitious in its scope and complexity. At one level, it is a memoir, focusing not only Dr. Sabine’s experiences as a psychotherapist, but also on his history and life outside the consulting room. At another level, it is book of psychotherapy cases. Dr. Sabine frequently renders these case stories with the eye for detail and the skill of a fiction writer. Hence, even without further elaboration, they often work simply as stories. But Dr. Sabine works to enrich the stories by educating the reader on the process of the work and its implications both for the client and himself. In this latter respect, his authorial voice is more that of a psychology or theology professor, or sometimes even a pastor with a lofty and lyrical yet folksy style. Hence, he blends three types of writing in the book: the authorial voices of the memoirist, the fiction writer, and the teacher/orator. His success in blending and balancing these voices is a testimony to his remarkable talent as a writer.
Readers of A Chair With a View are in for a multi-layered treat for the heart, mind, and soul. The book offers a rare, insightful, and powerfully moving view inside the hearts and minds of struggling, yet courageous psychotherapy clients, and a wide open window into the soul of their profoundly human and humane psychotherapist, Dr. David Sabine. As we share in the richly compelling world of their consulting room encounters, we will, like Dr Sabine and his clients, be moved and changed by the experience.
About the reviewer: Dan Wolverton, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who was educated and trained at Stanford University, the University of Louisville, and the Palo Alto VA Medical Center, a Stanford-affiliated site.
Many of the stories in the book highlight how human struggle and darkness can be redeemed by authentic humanity, love, and, against all reason, hope and transcendence. Dr. Sabine acknowledges that suffering can indeed eclipse all hope at times, but he seems to say that if he and his clients are courageous, persistent, and faithful to each other and to the work, redeeming light can perhaps be found around the edges of the eclipse. The author’s own indomitably positive spirit shines through every story of this book, even while he engages the bleakest of client situations with unflinching honesty, and even as he acknowledges occasional feelings of powerlessness in the face of his clients’ most acute suffering. The contrast between Dr. Sabine’s essentially hopeful nature and the, at times, brutally difficult and seemingly hopeless struggles of some of his clients is one of the intriguing tensions of the book.
A former pastor, Dr. Sabine has been a licensed clinical psychologist for the past 18 years. While giving nods to the scientific basis of psychotherapy, Dr. Sabine’s therapeutic approach goes well beyond science in its emphasis on deeply authentic humanity, outside-of-the-box creativity, openness to mystery and moments of transcendence, and a case-specific willingness to go beyond the rigid boundaries of psychotherapeutic norms, if indicated and when the timing is right. Dr. Sabine is remarkably frank and self-effacing as he shares his process of working through treatment decisions, some of which, while thoroughly considered and obviously motivated by compassion, may strike readers as controversial.
The book is written primarily for a non-professional audience. Dr. Sabine clearly loves his work and feels privileged to share stories of his clients’ courageous struggles. And he seems to cherish the opportunity to let his readers in on what is for him the often wrenching, yet nevertheless beautiful vantage point that he enjoys as a psychotherapist. But even as he writes to non-professionals, one can sometimes sense him picking good-natured fights with his fellow clinicians, offering the occasional swipe at managed care and at the rigid application of empirically-based treatment methods. While the book’s primary aim is to touch people’s hearts and souls, it should also inspire lively and important ethical discussions on the part of professional and non-professional audiences alike.
A Chair with a View is ambitious in its scope and complexity. At one level, it is a memoir, focusing not only Dr. Sabine’s experiences as a psychotherapist, but also on his history and life outside the consulting room. At another level, it is book of psychotherapy cases. Dr. Sabine frequently renders these case stories with the eye for detail and the skill of a fiction writer. Hence, even without further elaboration, they often work simply as stories. But Dr. Sabine works to enrich the stories by educating the reader on the process of the work and its implications both for the client and himself. In this latter respect, his authorial voice is more that of a psychology or theology professor, or sometimes even a pastor with a lofty and lyrical yet folksy style. Hence, he blends three types of writing in the book: the authorial voices of the memoirist, the fiction writer, and the teacher/orator. His success in blending and balancing these voices is a testimony to his remarkable talent as a writer.
Readers of A Chair With a View are in for a multi-layered treat for the heart, mind, and soul. The book offers a rare, insightful, and powerfully moving view inside the hearts and minds of struggling, yet courageous psychotherapy clients, and a wide open window into the soul of their profoundly human and humane psychotherapist, Dr. David Sabine. As we share in the richly compelling world of their consulting room encounters, we will, like Dr Sabine and his clients, be moved and changed by the experience.
About the reviewer: Dan Wolverton, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who was educated and trained at Stanford University, the University of Louisville, and the Palo Alto VA Medical Center, a Stanford-affiliated site.
September 6, 2012
One of the best aspects of this book in my opinion is that the author is up front about his failings as a human and as a psychotherapist and he doesn't try to make it appear that his clients were healed as a result of his own ingenuity. He is honest about his failings and his biases. The stories themselves were moving, informative, and inspiring. If anything, I wish there were more stories about more clients in order for me to delve deeper into the human psyche and understand the motives of others. All in all a great read that I highly recommend.
April 24, 2014
I highly recommend this book (which, by the way, won top prize at the San Francisco Writer's Conference). A quick read, very well-written, filled with touching, meaningful, *true* stories from an author who is in a unique position to tell them. Very satisfying read if you are like me and constantly curious about what drives human behavior. I especially enjoyed the author's intersection of theology and psychology. I wish there were more books like this.
April 24, 2012
Author is very impressive and exudes a sense of peace. Would like to know what happened to the patients.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews