The Language of Feelings

by David Viscott

Argues that a clear understanding and free expression of one's feelings provide release from self-limiting defenses and emotional binds and access to fuller experience and satisfaction.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 1977

About the author

In 1980 Viscott began presenting his own full-time show on talk radio, and was notably one of the first psychiatrists to do so (talk station KABC). He screened telephone calls and gave considerable amount of free psychological counselling to his on-air "patients."

In 1987 Viscott briefly had his own live syndicated TV show, Getting in Touch with Dr. David Viscott, providing much the same service as his radio show. In fact, the shows ran concurrently. In the early 1990s he had a weekly call-in therapy television program on KNBC in Los Angeles early Sunday morning after Saturday Night Live, titled Night Talk with Dr. David Viscott.

Viscott's signature style was to attempt to isolate an individual's source of emotional problems in a very short amount of time.[citation needed] Many of his books were of a self-help nature, written to assist the individual with his/her own examination of life. His autobiography, The Making of a Psychiatrist, was a best-seller, a Book of the Month Club Main Selection, and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Along with psychiatric advice, he would fall back on his medical knowledge to regularly devote entire segments of radio to answering medical questions. During these segments he would give medical advice. Many of the questions answered had to do with pharmacological advice. This was unique in the world of talk radio.

Viscott's popularity peaked in the early 1990s, and then fell sharply. A separation from his wife, followed by declining health, occurred at about the same time that he left the air waves. He died in 1996 of heart failure complicated by a diabetic condition. At the time, he was living alone in Los Angeles. He is survived by his four children, Elizabeth, Penelope, Jonathan, and Melanie.

Reviews

[Danielle]

This book made me miss 1970s psychology. Most of what I read in grad school was from existential psychology in the 70s. There's something about that time period in the field when people weren't afraid to actually talk about interpersonal dynamics and feelings. These days everything is about neuropyschology and the medical model. The error the early psychologists made in relying to heavily on interpersonal and intrapsychic explanations is that mothers were blamed for everything (remember how they caused schizophrenia?) but these days, in attempt to look for explanations more rooted in biology and the brain, we've overlooked the other part of psychology, feelings and how to work with them. We all know this should be central to any therapeutic work. I really loved the author's explanation of the spectrum of negative emotion- loss/hurt, anger, anxiety, guilt, depression. The only other place where I've been able to find information about how to work with these feelings is in buddhism but that falls short in explaining how to work with those feelings interpersonally. I could not believe that the solution proposed in this book about how to handle anger is to express it to the person who caused the hurt and neither dilute the message or overdo, but whoa, to directly express anger to another person? That sounds radical but it is so necessary! All this time I've been trying to take deep breaths, try to get calm on my own, meditate....doing all this work before even considering bringing it to another person...all that's important to prepare but the key is to express it directly to the person and it's ok to be angry when expressing it!???!! What? Psychology is so wuss today. I'd argue that most current literature says that you have to express your hurt in a calm manner... that's just not always possible, and guess what? it's not helpful either! GENIUS!!!!

[Namami]

this book change my life

to be a better ME !!!!

[Sami]

I have read it again and again. Always helps me sort out feelings. Very short and easy to identify with.

[Tejaswini]

Where can I read this book? Am not able to get this anywhere. Kindly help. From Delhi.

[Michelle Beese]

Helps to get you in touch with your feelings!

[Paola]

hmm ok im starting to think this genre of book (although i only have a handful in my closet) really tend to emphasize the “wrong” in others. or maybe not the wrong, but makes it seem like the act of processing emotions inappropriately is a thing others do that you need to react to? instead of fully explaining how one can go through the steps of growing in emotional maturity. anyway this was still fun, and i think it offered some cool insight into our own psychology. i think it could have been maybe 80 pages shorter, but the chapters on depression & emotional debt were the best and fleshed out well 😊.

“the more feelings are held in, the less energy you have to be yourself and the less free you become. if you’re in emotional debt, either your feelings will eventually escape in the wrong direction or your defenses will become so rigid that you can’t interact spontaneously.”

[Jose Manuel]

Un libro que duele. Lo he leído como profesional y como lector que ha disfrutado de un viaje. Quizás hay cosas que han dolido y frases que han marcado. Un papel y un bolígrafo, tratar de dar respuestas a todo lo que me ha hecho sentir en cada página. Especial mención a un capítulo, que duele y mucho, pero se trata de vulnerabilidad y aceptar la inseguridad y las posibilidades que se dan si nos dejamos llevar por la emoción, ¿no?

¿Por qué no vivir y expresar los sentimientos de una vez?

Libro para leer más de una vez y sentirlo. Será un mantra para mi.

[กำพล สนธิเณร]

วัตถุประสงค์ของหนังสือคือ ทำให้เราเข้าใจธรรมชาติของมนุษย์ที่มีความรู้สึก และความรู้สึกนั้นเราควรซื่อสัตย์ต่อมัน แสดงมันออกมาตรงๆ เพราะเมื่อเราเก็บกด หรือทำเป็นไม่สนใจต่อความรู้สึกด้านลบของตัวเองที่เกิดขึ้น มันจะถูกสะสมและรอวันระเบิด ซึ่งเป็นที่มาของอาการทางจิตประสาท โดยบอกเล่าว่าลำดับของความรู้สึกต่างๆที่จะนำไปสู่ภาวะซึมเศร้านั้น เกิดขึ้นได้อย่างไร

[Deborah]

This was, thankfully, super short. 160 pages. It still took me two weeks to get through. It’s a bunch of sniveling, uncover your true self by feeling what you feel and expressing yourself kind of nonsense. It has chapters dedicated to a few feelings, like anxiety, hurt, etc. There is nothing useful here. Do not recommend. Recommended to me by my therapist.

[michelle]

not revolutionary but fundamental truths that bear repeating

[Renata]

Me ayudo mucho y me hizo reflexionar en un diferentes sentidos.

[Monika]

Brilliant book that removes the stigma around feelings.

[Benny Biesek]

Provides a great interview of how one relates to, interacts with and influences himself and his emotions. Two thumbs up! Great read.

[Zack Moreno]

A logical approach to letting go and emotional regulation. I appreciated the viewpoints and perspective of this book.

[Juliana]

Indicação da minha psicóloga. Muito bom

[Lexington Reads]

Found this old book at a small thrift store near me. this book basically just discusses psychology which is something I'm interested in. But overall no thoughts.

[Yeim]

The perfect guide to understanding how our feelings work. ❤️‍🩹✨️

[Carina Balbo]

This book is fantastic! And I’d like to read it again!!

[Harry]

Well worth the read.

[Robert Cymbala]

At this moment, I feel it's the best book I've ever read!