Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale

by Charles C. McCormack

McCormack was asked two questions by his children that unerringly targeted issues he had struggled with his entire life: "Who are you?" and "What is life about?" Hatching Charlie, his attempt to respond, rocketed him down a wormhole through time, his past made present. He re-lives the disruptions of military family life, family violence, the racism of the Jim Crowe South, and the tidal wave of fear and confusion when exiled to a boarding school in France as a child. With unalloyed frankness, McCormack, an award-winning psychotherapist, author, and lecturer, takes us into the mental illness in his own family, and the destructive influence of his cratered childhood upon his adulthood. During this journey, we go behind the scenes of psychiatric treatment, including a vivid portrayal of McCormack’s experience in psychoanalysis and as a psychiatric social worker in a locked-door inpatient treatment unit. There, we become engulfed in the penetrating horror and self-doubt when confronted with the suicide of several patients, as well as the profound sense of fulfillment experienced when able to help those who had been unable to help themselves. In his striving for happiness and meaning, McCormack arrives at the realization that there was an enduring block to happiness and that it resided within himself. Rejecting this self-limiting fate, he pecks away at the shells that confine him like a Russian nesting doll and discovers first-hand the hidden power of incomplete mourning to constrict happiness like English ivy strangles a tree. In this moving memoir, there is wisdom about life, love, and relationships that will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face.

Genres: Memoir, Inspirational, Health, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Self Help, Mental Health

426 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2016

About the author

Charles C. McCormack, MA, MSW, LCSW-C holds masters degrees in psychology and in clinical social work. Over the past forty-plus years, he has worked in a variety of psychiatric settings covering sexual abuse, family violence, drug treatment and was the Senior Social Worker of Long-Term Inpatient Services at Sheppard-Pratt Hospital in Baltimore. Mr. McCormack has presented numerous papers and workshops in the United States and Canada on the treatment of “difficult to treat” individuals, couples, and families. He was the first social worker invited to join the teaching faculty of Sheppard-Pratt and the first invited to become guest faculty of the Washington School of Psychiatry’s Psychoanalytic Object Relations Family and Couples Therapy Training Program without first going through the program. He was a field instructor for Smith College's Masters and Doctoral programs in social work and for The University of Maryland School of Social Work. In 1994 Mr. McCormack was named Clinician of the Year by the Maryland Society of Clinical Social Workers. In 2000 his book "Treating Borderline States in Marriage: Dealing with Oppositionalism, Ruthless Aggression, and Severe Resistance" was published and is used in couples therapy training programs. In December 2016 Mr. McCormack self-published an autobiography "Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist’s Tale" which interweaves the story of his unusual life, with becoming a psychotherapist. He has since re-written Hatching Charlie twice, each revision lending greater clarity and understanding like a photograph coming into full focus in the third and final edition As Happy As I Can Stand. In 2021 McCormack published Essence. Although Hatching Charlie met with critical acclaim, McCormack completely rewrote it, so much so that he published it as apart from the series as a stand-alone title. Since then he re-edited and retitled Essence into "Healing of a Psychotherapist" and replaced the cover. In 2023 the University of Maryland School of Social Work awarded Charlie the Emeritus Award for a lifetime of contributions and innovations to the Social Work Profession. McCormack maintains a small private practice in Aberdeen, Maryland where he lives on the Bush River with his wife Janet.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essence is a captivating memoir about a man’s struggles to find his way after enduring a horrific childhood. Raised by a strict military man and his repressed wife, Charlie faces a long hard road that he hopes will take him to his place in the world, wherever that may be. His journey of self-discovery eventually leads him into the fields of psychology and clinical social work where he finds he belongs. Through his work not only does he help his many patients but himself as well.

Charlie is a phenomenal writer. Despite not wasting a single word nor tying up the flow with description and flowery phrases, his prose is gorgeous. He takes common words and puts them together in such a manner that his sentences glide and communicate in a style that to me is so elegant. An example: “The resulting feeling of abandonment and aloneness took root within me and, to some extent, remains to this day. Bunkered in the ashes of the years gone by, it still bursts into flame given an ill wind.”

As many of you who read my reviews know, I look for 4 things in books: I wish for characters I can connect with. I want to learn something. I like to be made to think. Finally, I need the “feels,” all of them. Essence hits the “quadrifecta” in terms of these desires and therefore easily earns 5 stars from me.

In regard to characterization, even though Charlie’s life has not been easy, I am impressed by the way he opens himself up to the readers. He lays it all out there—the good, the bad, and the ugly. I admire the way he throws himself into his work and his willingness to take chances. His ever-evolving efforts to understand himself and others in his life is laudable. It was quite a ride to sit shotgun on his journey to find himself—I was cheering him on the whole way.

What did I learn? I learned about the nature of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, the inner workings of managed care (bastards!), how to survive and live life, and so much more. His pearls on life are invaluable. My favorites of all are those addressing the necessary components of an ideal interpersonal relationship.

And yes, I was motivated to think. Essence is one of the most inspirational pieces of work I have read. I found myself underlining passage after passage as there is so much I want to go back to and ponder. For example: “Life-changing shifts do not have to be epic. They can occur with a slight turn in perspective, a mere five words or three feet away.” I also enjoyed the numerous anecdotes and thought-provoking metaphors spread throughout the memoir.

I award an “A+” for all “the feels.” I felt anger, sadness, and compassion. But the last several chapters of the book are what really hit me in the heart. There were so many places where my throat constricted or I welled up with tears as Charlie tells us about the most important things he has discovered and experienced in his later years. I was deeply touched.

The ending is perfect, yet I wanted more. I hope we hear from Charles McCormack again. I believe Essence is an important book that deserves a wider readership. It was previously released in 2016 as “Hatching Charlie,” then later as “As Happy as I Can Stand.” Though it had superb ratings under those titles, the author elected to do a major overhaul of the memoir, and the results are impressive. I have just finished reading the new version as a beta reader, and I found very little to criticize even though I can be ruthless in that role when necessary. I highly recommend Essence to anyone interested in the essence of being human, the essence of life.

Many thanks to Charles McCormack for asking me to read his book. Thoughts and opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Edward Hendry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essence, by Charles McCormack
To write a good memoir, an author’s stories must be focused, authentic, and transformational. But to truly pull it off, a great read should touch the heart, tying the story to something universal that needs to change.
In Essence, Charles McCormack knocks it out of the park, accomplishing all of the above and more. I loved the opening, where the author tells of his writing struggles. These are the first scenes of many where McCormack lays bare his soul on his journey through relationships and life, expressing his deepest fears and emotions with clarity of purpose, fine-tuned editing, and easy reading prose.
The story of a young Charlie (McCormack) growing up under a narcissistic, abusive father to become an award-winning psychotherapist and highly respected social worker will capture your heart, and I highly recommend this book.

[Dona's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author Charles C. McCormack and BookSiren for an advance digital copy of HEALING OF A PSYCHOTHERAPIST.

This volume details the challenges McCormack experienced in his upbringing, including physical and emotional abuse, as well as has father abandoning him at a reform type school where everyone else spoke a different language. This is my trigger warning for lots of uncomfortable childhood experiences, but most of it is off-page. The book goes on to illustrate how the challenges may have shaped the adult McCormack became at different stages of his development, for better or worse.

I was honestly surprised what a good story I found in this book. McCormack maintains an impressively chronological form, given how spatially memory can function. He speaks of himself graciously and humbly, which I find comfortable as a reader. It's an interesting piece on mental health, on seeing the impact of trauma on a life, and then life, on the memory of trauma.

Rating: 🩺🩺🩺🩺 / 5 successful treatments
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: April 1 2023
Read this if you like:
🗣 Memoirs
🩹 Medical memoirs
👤 Mental health rep
🌄 Redemption / second chance

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Charles McCormack, “Hatching Carlie: A Psychotherapist Tale” is a thoughtful engaging memoir of the life and times of a deeply caring and compassionate healer/therapist. In 1974, Charlie accepted a volunteer position at Sheppard Pratt Hospital, Baltimore, MD. (est.1853-). This hospital was recognized as the oldest more advanced psychiatric treatment hospitals in the nation. With no experience, and marginal college success, Charlie discovered his true calling working with troubled and disturbed psychiatric patients and facilitating their path to improved mental health and wellness.

The second of five siblings, Charlie’s father was a Army artillery officer, and emulated his war hero Douglas McArthur. Discipline was often harsh and severe, as Charlie and his siblings feared their father’s temper and wrath. As a child, Charlie was perplexed by the racism in Montgomery, Alabama—the separate drinking fountain’s for “whites” and “colored” people. When he was eleven, he was sent to College St. Etienne in France-- a boarding school for 18 months. His brothers had also been there, he didn’t understand the French language or why his parents had abandoned him, never visiting. In 1963, his father received orders to return stateside where the entire family moved from Heidelberg, Germany.

Never fully interested in school, Charlie was kicked out of one college, and fired from numerous jobs. Fortunately, he had the connections of a family friend and gained admission to Loyola, which is now a prominent University. In 1972, he married his first wife Jane. Over the course of their long marriage, they had 3 children. With the pressure Charlie felt building his professional career with the demands of fatherhood and family life, Charlie noted it was too easy to pass the blame. Jane was admitted for inpatient care, as he and Jane struggled to keep their marriage and family life intact. Eventually they divorced. Charlie, a hopeless romantic, remarried fairly quickly to a beautiful complex woman, and his second marriage would end in divorce as well. As a marriage and family therapist, Charlie readily shared and discussed the difficulties and problems he encountered in his marriages, and how he came to terms with them and met the challenges of family life.

On His 30th birthday, Charlie graduated from Maryland University on January 13, 1980. A master’s degree allowed him to practice psychotherapy, though without the pay and prestige of a psychologist. Team meetings discussing patient care were sometimes confrontational: (Charlie writes) “The psychiatrists in particular, had cherished egos and would posture intellectually like roosters. Add to this, the heated arguments that would occasionally break-out among professional sub-groups and the result was an atmosphere more driven by emotional agenda than one might expect among such a polished group of mental health professionals.” The problems of mental health care delivery began to decline as state asylums and mental hospitals began to empty wards, with a preference for outpatient care in community clinics. Managed care (HMO’s) assumed the role of providing services forcing practitioners and providers to deal with complicated insurance claims, payments and paperwork. Many patients were forced into homelessness.

This memoir covers decades of Charlie's life, and is often written in a stream-of –consciousness style that explore thoughts and emotions. While this is truthful and revealing, the writing seems to ramble if the reader should lose interest. A good editor will catch this. There are many stories about his happy third marriage, family life and the therapeutic benefits of a writer’s life and meaning for readers. Charlie has written a follow-up memoir that will be released soon.

[J.E. Rowney · Rating 2 out of 5]

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The thing about memoirs is that, unless you’re a very famous or fascinating person, they aren’t particularly interesting to anyone that doesn’t know you. It seems a trend for people to get to a point in their life where they decide to jot down their reminisces and anecdotes from their life without really thinking about their target audience.

As the author tells us, he is well educated, so the book itself is not badly written. I simply wasn’t interested in it. The story of how he grew up in a household where he was abused before moving between institutions of different kinds throughout his life is peppered with anecdotes, but none of them have a wider meaning or deeper application for the casual reader.

There are no trigger warnings in the description so I’ll mention that the book includes child abuse and mentions of eating disorders, self harm and suicide.

[P.B. Flower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unguarded moments shared from experience.
Anytime a book is written with honesty it shows. This book is earnest and will draw fanfare because of the bareness of the content that comes from heart. Many mentioned scenarios in this memoir were relatable or they evoked a certain emotion with compelling compassion.

I highly recommend this book.

[Sean DeLauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

McCormack’s autobiography is a genuinely touching one about the occasional disconnect between generations, between parents and children, and the dissatisfaction that arises in children that they must learn to overcome as adults. How, or if, they overcome it shapes their personalities. The story has, for myself in any case, a powerful toll of familiarity.

When you begin a book such as this one, knowing the author’s profession is one that deals with the weighty topic of understanding the human mind, a reader might be fearful of being inundated in endless, dry analysis. Or not fearful at all, if endless dry analysis is what you’re hoping for. Unfortunately for the latter group, and fortunately for the rest of us, McCormack provides the reader with a story rather than a textbook.

What’s refreshing about McCormack’s work is that it acknowledges everyone struggles in one form or another. We hear this plenty, but McCormack shows us. At every level of society, no matter where you start on the socioeconomic scale, there are obstacles everyone must overcome. Certainly one’s situation can make them easier or more difficult, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist and they don’t weigh heavily on each individual in their own story, and what tempers one person might crush another. Our ability to persevere makes us who we are and gives us the confidence to endure, because when we prove to ourselves we can survive something the next difficulty may not be easier, but we have shown ourselves we can overcome it.

Without giving too much away, McCormack’s childhood highlights a familiar family dynamic of the 1950s and 60s: a father in the military and a mother raising a large family (five children), often by herself, with the father acting as king in a household of servants—and though this arrangement seems mortifying now to all but a handful of entitled misogynists, all members seemed to take it in stride (“To the child, everything within the family is “normal”—just the way things are.”). The unhealthy family dynamics take a toll on McCormack and weighs on other family members in different ways. It’s a life-shaping experience not everyone is equipped to overcome.

There is plenty of analysis, of self, of social environments and their effects, but much of the story is descriptive, painting a scene, engaging with it, and sometimes providing the analyst’s insight, and the last is not overbearing or littered with jargon or theory, but presented in clear, comprehensible language on the non-expert’s terms. At times the prose can turn a shade of purple, but it’s a rare distraction.

At its heart, the story is what the title promises to be. It’s not a story about psychoanalytics, or a self-help guide for personal healing, it’s about the development of an individual who happens to become a psychotherapist and is specially equipped to look back at their own life through that lens. It’s a fascinating self-analysis, being able to pinpoint critical, personality-shaping events and personalities one encounters as a child and demonstrating how they manifest as characteristics as an adult—in McCormack’s case, his traumatic experiences made him a dogged survivor.

This is not a guidebook for how to live a life however. Everyone reacts differently to stimuli, and what strengthened McCormack may have made another person one of his patients.

Fortunately for the reader, though perhaps not as fortunate for McCormack, he had an interesting and uniquely stressful childhood and an equally dramatic adulthood that his youthful experiences equipped him to better handle. All of this makes for compelling storytelling.

It’s not at all the story I expected. It is not a series of analyses of patients broken by tragedies or unmanageable biochemistries. It is the story of an individual who lived through trauma and aspired to help others with their own. It is not a textbook. It is, to my relief and satisfaction, much, much better.

[David MacNamera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Essence is an autobiography in which the author relates the story of his life and numerous formative stories about his experiences. While it's hard to vote someone's "life" down, I found that, as a work of literature, Essence did not have a whole lot to share with the reader.

The author's idea of child abuse, having plenty, having a mother and an employed father (though an authoritarian), steady income, shelter, education, and travel opportunities would sound to many in the world like a life of incredible privilege, not one of terrible suffering. Toss in parts like "I found I liked eating oysters and crackers in the officer's club." and the author's being forced to attend private schools in Europe, and I can't say my heart is actually bleeding for this man's shared pain in life.

Try being a child around a slug male who lives in a vodka bottle, doesn't work one day in forty years, has a shrew, hateful wife who projects her lifetime of bitter resentment onto the youngest child in the family which is so degenerating and severe she not only cheats, attacks, and insults the youngest child constantly, but then engages in thirty-two years of felony stalking and harassment once the child rejects her and moves penniless across the country just to get away from the situation. Now THAT'S an abusive childhood!

Oysters in the officer's club and private schools in Europe is not what I call a tough draw.

Aside from those points, the author just seems to feel sorry for himself and appears to have never tried anything seriously in life. A wandering privileged Boomer living in probably the easiest period of American history and dwelling constantly on himself and his lack of any real effort in life.

Each of the stories shared had dull or predictable "lessons" in them, and were rather formulaic often stating "And that is where I learned to plan ahead.", "And then is when I learned to study more.", "And such and such is where I learned that heavy objects carry a lot of weight.", those types of unremarkable conclusions.

He did go on to have a long career in mental health and counseling, which is commendable. I would be interested in reading a well-organized history of his work in those fields.

As for Essence, in the end, I just don't think it's worth sharing the "story" of a lazy wanderer who didn't ever really have it hard at all.

But some people might like reading this book, all depends on your background I suppose.

[J.P. Willson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I knew I would enjoy simply from the title alone. Even considering I had no idea of what the content would be yet, before reading the excerpt, simply from the title alone I was aware I would gain inspiration from this book.
And this I certainly did, much much more than I could have ever imagined.
This is a wonderfully presented autobiographical account of a mans life from every possible angle one can imagine. Good bad and just plain middle of the road stuff that each and every person goes through in their own lives and in their own respective fashions. Most, as is related in the book countless times, without any such knowledge of what they are experiencing or why.
Simply stated the average individual does not look at themselves in such a light as to discover within themselves how to become a better, richer, and fuller person by way of self-exploration and really, self-renewal throughout their lives.
Written in a very self-deprecating yet humorous tome, it comes apparent quickly that the author has fully left himself vulnerable to the world with no concern whatever to what may come. And why should he? I guess you'll need to read the book to arrive at that answer for yourself.
The knowledge I have gained is enormous. Being on my own journey of self-exploration for the last three years or so I found this book so relate-able to so many questions and ideas and theories I myself have come up with . Why it is my life is the way it is? Why have I come to this place in my life? Why should I continue this re-examination of all things that are my life....and how shall I continue along this road? Is this all there is? I am the only person that can answer these questions fully and completely.
Personally I have been able to use this as a self-help tool even though I do not believe that was the author's intent.
Written in a narrative that I found quite compelling and witty. The analogies abounded to his experiences and were so eloquent in their placements it was a joy to read.
I am going to recommend this to my own counselor and life coach among many others..

[Neil Carstairs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hatching Charlie is at times a very interesting read, this comes from the engaging way that the author gives voice to his personal history, struggles and successes. It needs to be an honest approach, otherwise it will fail on all fronts. The reader must understand where Charles C McCormack has come from; this includes sometimes difficult to read passages on family life (particularly the young Charlie’s relationship with his father), life in 1950s USA with its racial segregation and subsequent life in Europe as his father’s military career takes him overseas.

The author’s work in the psychiatric field, something I got the impression he almost fell into by accident, shows the stress that mental health care professionals come under. Dysfunctional families and suicidal patients are encountered daily and the ability to cope with this as well as personal struggles of marriage and divorce earn my respect every time.

Hatching Charlie combines social history with a study of psychoanalysis and McCormack writes with honesty and warmth that will draw the reader in to his life experiences.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale

Sometimes when you look at your reflection in a mirror you see someone that is wonderful, successful or perfect in your own eyes. But, what is hidden behind your eyes, the fear, the anger, the torment is never truly revealed unless you look deeper, longer and see what’s hiding behind your lack of expression, your glaring eyes as they begin to recall your childhood torments, lack of accomplishments growing up, unrest caused by a tyrannical and abusive parent and the hopes and fears that someday you as a person will be accepted as you are. How do you change your look? How does your demeanor take on another appearance, how do you find yourself when others look at you and only see failure, differences you can’t help but cope with and the joy of life has gone out of you as people who see your expressionless face and cold and staring eyes will see as you begin to unravel the mystery behind you and share it with the world. Meet Charlie McCormack and hear his voice, shed his tears, feel his pain and understand his frustrations as he tells you his story in his own terms from youth to adulthood and in between. This is not an ordinary memoir beginning with a young child growing up in the 50’s describing his experiences living in fear of an abusive father, in an abusive family where the lack of warmth, constant critics and unusual punishment loomed over his head on a daily basis. Placed in a boarding school where the abuse continued at the hand of a priest followed by many incidents during his childhood where his father beat his brother and him without feeling or mercy.
The author relates his many interactions with students in his school being placed a year ahead of his age, the difficulties he faced, the ridicule, the antics he pulled trying to steal a copy of a final and getting ratted out by someone who wanted him to cough one up too. His father’s constant abuse, his mother not able to deal with many situations and then finally moving to Germany and other places and having to cope with no friends, loneliness and the demands of his father. When finally he does graduate high school and he decides to try other jobs his journey is not one that came easy as stealing, lies, drinking and doing reckless things became his mantra. But, not everyone stays adrift and when he meets Jane and they finally begin to settle down will he realize that he is now responsible for another person as we get to know Charlie after finding his way to become a psychotherapist. What happens when his son Chandler is about to be born is priceless and his love for him endearing. Introducing him to his new sibling and then finding himself in need of a way to support his family before getting his first internship. Charlie is real, his personality unique, his stories well told and his ups and downs described make him human and closer to the reader. Deciding on his path took time, the army and many other stumbling and roadblocks until he realized that he could help others that might be going through the same trials he did before reaching his goals. Dealing with people, different personalities is not easy and teaching readers by talking about his profession in a way we can all grasp and understand is what makes this book or memoir stand out.
In chapter 17 he focuses on the compassion others showed him and the fact that they never mocked or ridiculed him. Even the medical director, Bill Abramson, MD, not the nicest person on this planet, still managed to hold his tongue and not make him feel small. He provided supervision for him and later he even invited him to his home to give him so old toys that belonged to his grown children for his son Chandler. Even though there were cutbacks and his position was no longer full time, they kept him on a researcher. Balancing his career and his life was not easy but as he states the idea was to help people “access the healing powers of stimulation and enjoyment in human connection, but this went against the more traditional and conservative notions of the therapist and patient relationship.”
Imagine working for someone named Ms. Glum and having to deal with the census, answers and not getting along with this person. If reasons we won’t divulge he called her Ms. Glum you can imagine what they means. In Chapter 19 he tells us about getting his Social Work Degree and three more years as the Program Director of Sheppard-Pratts Evening Treatment Program where our author felt the need to expand his horizons. The chapter discusses his career as a family therapist, which did not start off as a huge smash hit. More obstacles and more course work and then in chapter 20 Outpatient to in-patient to Im-Patient. I’ll let you read it and figure it out! This memoir brings to light just how someone can rise above the obstacles, disasters, the people that hindered him and find himself as a well known therapist who is understanding, realizes his limitations and might even come to terms with his father and his military way of dealing with him as we meet him when his children get married, becoming a father in law and then touring Italy with his father, dealing with his mother’s terminal illness, his mother’s critique of how Christine was raising her children and then taking a drastic step realizing that he had to make a choice whether to deal with his parents who deal with abuse.
Being a grandfather must be the greatest thing for Charlie. His picture does not exactly describe him as you can tell at the start of Chapter 33. Grandparents are patients but he knows little about that as he did about being a father. Never having grandparents he had no one to compare himself to and after his children were born he did have more of a relationship with his parents. Remembering his time as a dad with Chandler and not allow him or his mother to walk him to the mall to buy something he wanted. Independent you might say. The rest of the chapter tells more about his other grandchildren, their relationships and their love for Oma Jane. But, on grandchild Stella, gave him a real run as she was rude and disrespectful and he would not and show not deal with that. He could not inflict a consequence so he became cold and withdraws as we meet Jonny The Hitman McCormack age two and a half. Learn more about him and why the name and more as you read the remainder of this chapter. Why Change is Difficult rounds out Chapter 36 and talking about the human brain as a friend and foe. The brain develops habituated ways of thinking and felling that we use to connect both to the external and our sense of self. As a child it is not only dramatic events that shape us but the as he states the abiding emotional ambiance, the feelings that link us to our parents, siblings and ultimately the world. Learning to deal with feelings that we are unsure of or unaccustomed to that threaten to overthrow our most implicit beliefs. This can cause as he states disorganization. Change is difficult as we know and the human brain poses many roadblocks and obstacles. Understand how the brain protects us using psychological defenses to protect us from psychological distress. The remainder of this chapter explains it all in more detail. The final chapter titled Au Revoir focuses on how you have grown, leaving home and created your own life with your own family. He enjoys living his life in solitude or at least he tries. Janet is around but most days they do their own thing and come together for other activities like boat rides, cards and more. He sums himself up perfectly on page 400 the last paragraph. Read this heartfelt memoir and meet Charlie, his parents, siblings, children, grandchildren and those he counsels and the final page which bring tears to your eyes as the author decides his next move as he hears his mother calling: HAVE A GOOD LIFE! Charlie has finally been Hatched and Feels so alive.
Read this compelling journey of this interesting psychotherapist. Take the journey now!
Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ Magazine








The turbulent 1960s follow, in which McCormack is expelled from college for drug use and later goes on a trip of personal discovery with his girlfriend across North America and Mexico in a VW Beetle. The couple has a frightening showdown with the Mexican police—followed by a fortuitous encounter when their car breaks down and a car mechanic who was once a Ph.D. psychologist rescues them.
Upon returning to the United States, McCormack studies to become a psychotherapist and thrives. However, there are dark moments along the way. Personal and professional successes and failures. He suffers from PTSD following the suicide of one patient, must physically throw himself at another to prevent her from slashing her wrists, and when his marriage ends in divorce, he also must confront the demons of his childhood which come forward with terrifying intensity.
McCormack—a well-reputed psychotherapist—must then face his own issues with love and loving, and his changing identity as he confronts the challenges of fatherhood and grand fatherhood, and then partial retirement. All along the way, McCormack offers valuable insights speaking with an authority that arises from years of personal self-reflection and self-accountability, along with the experience gained in over forty years as an individual and couples therapist. Unflinchingly, McCormack shares raw and personal examples of how we each can come to live self-limiting lives and become the principal barriers to our own happiness. Given McCormack’s creative, inquisitive, expressive, and imaginative mind, his story unfolds like a dancer peeling her seven veils, as each veil drops she comes to an epiphany about life, standing near naked at the end. Hatching Charlie takes the reader into the sacred and profane, past many blessed and tortured realms, into the challenges, rewards, and sometimes tragedies inherent in a mental health career and, truth be told, in life itself you've ever wanted to read someone's diary, be a fly on the wall during a private exchange, or wondered what someone, possibly your therapist, really, really thinks then Hatching Charlie will roundly satisfy that curiosity. It's a fascinating read

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i won this book recently in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

This was interesting and something totally different from what I usually read. I rarely write what a book is about for fear of spoiling for others, but I do recommend.

[Fran]

Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale

Sometimes when you look at your reflection in a mirror you see someone that is wonderful, successful or perfect in your own eyes. But, what is hidden behind your eyes, the fear, the anger, the torment is never truly revealed unless you look deeper, longer and see what’s hiding behind your lack of expression, your glaring eyes as they begin to recall your childhood torments, lack of accomplishments growing up, unrest caused by a tyrannical and abusive parent and the hopes and fears that someday you as a person will be accepted as you are. How do you change your look? How does your demeanor take on another appearance, how do you find yourself when others look at you and only see failure, differences you can’t help but cope with and the joy of life has gone out of you as people who see your expressionless face and cold and staring eyes will see as you begin to unravel the mystery behind you and share it with the world. Meet Charlie McCormack and hear his voice, shed his tears, feel his pain and understand his frustrations as he tells you his story in his own terms from youth to adulthood and in between. This is not an ordinary memoir beginning with a young child growing up in the 50’s describing his experiences living in fear of an abusive father, in an abusive family where the lack of warmth, constant critics and unusual punishment loomed over his head on a daily basis. Placed in a boarding school where the abuse continued at the hand of a priest followed by many incidents during his childhood where his father beat his brother and him without feeling or mercy.
The author relates his many interactions with students in his school being placed a year ahead of his age, the difficulties he faced, the ridicule, the antics he pulled trying to steal a copy of a final and getting ratted out by someone who wanted him to cough one up too. His father’s constant abuse, his mother not able to deal with many situations and then finally moving to Germany and other places and having to cope with no friends, loneliness and the demands of his father. When finally he does graduate high school and he decides to try other jobs his journey is not one that came easy as stealing, lies, drinking and doing reckless things became his mantra. But, not everyone stays adrift and when he meets Jane and they finally begin to settle down will he realize that he is now responsible for another person as we get to know Charlie after finding his way to become a psychotherapist. What happens when his son Chandler is about to be born is priceless and his love for him endearing. Introducing him to his new sibling and then finding himself in need of a way to support his family before getting his first internship. Charlie is real, his personality unique, his stories well told and his ups and downs described make him human and closer to the reader. Deciding on his path took time, the army and many other stumbling and roadblocks until he realized that he could help others that might be going through the same trials he did before reaching his goals. Dealing with people, different personalities is not easy and teaching readers by talking about his profession in a way we can all grasp and understand is what makes this book or memoir stand out.
In chapter 17 he focuses on the compassion others showed him and the fact that they never mocked or ridiculed him. Even the medical director, Bill Abramson, MD, not the nicest person on this planet, still managed to hold his tongue and not make him feel small. He provided supervision for him and later he even invited him to his home to give him so old toys that belonged to his grown children for his son Chandler. Even though there were cutbacks and his position was no longer full time, they kept him on a researcher. Balancing his career and his life was not easy but as he states the idea was to help people “access the healing powers of stimulation and enjoyment in human connection, but this went against the more traditional and conservative notions of the therapist and patient relationship.”
Imagine working for someone named Ms. Glum and having to deal with the census, answers and not getting along with this person. If reasons we won’t divulge he called her Ms. Glum you can imagine what they means. In Chapter 19 he tells us about getting his Social Work Degree and three more years as the Program Director of Sheppard-Pratts Evening Treatment Program where our author felt the need to expand his horizons. The chapter discusses his career as a family therapist, which did not start off as a huge smash hit. More obstacles and more course work and then in chapter 20 Outpatient to in-patient to Im-Patient. I’ll let you read it and figure it out! This memoir brings to light just how someone can rise above the obstacles, disasters, the people that hindered him and find himself as a well known therapist who is understanding, realizes his limitations and might even come to terms with his father and his military way of dealing with him as we meet him when his children get married, becoming a father in law and then touring Italy with his father, dealing with his mother’s terminal illness, his mother’s critique of how Christine was raising her children and then taking a drastic step realizing that he had to make a choice whether to deal with his parents who deal with abuse.
Being a grandfather must be the greatest thing for Charlie. His picture does not exactly describe him as you can tell at the start of Chapter 33. Grandparents are patients but he knows little about that as he did about being a father. Never having grandparents he had no one to compare himself to and after his children were born he did have more of a relationship with his parents. Remembering his time as a dad with Chandler and not allow him or his mother to walk him to the mall to buy something he wanted. Independent you might say. The rest of the chapter tells more about his other grandchildren, their relationships and their love for Oma Jane. But, on grandchild Stella, gave him a real run as she was rude and disrespectful and he would not and show not deal with that. He could not inflict a consequence so he became cold and withdraws as we meet Jonny The Hitman McCormack age two and a half. Learn more about him and why the name and more as you read the remainder of this chapter. Why Change is Difficult rounds out Chapter 36 and talking about the human brain as a friend and foe. The brain develops habituated ways of thinking and felling that we use to connect both to the external and our sense of self. As a child it is not only dramatic events that shape us but the as he states the abiding emotional ambiance, the feelings that link us to our parents, siblings and ultimately the world. Learning to deal with feelings that we are unsure of or unaccustomed to that threaten to overthrow our most implicit beliefs. This can cause as he states disorganization. Change is difficult as we know and the human brain poses many roadblocks and obstacles. Understand how the brain protects us using psychological defenses to protect us from psychological distress. The remainder of this chapter explains it all in more detail. The final chapter titled Au Revoir focuses on how you have grown, leaving home and created your own life with your own family. He enjoys living his life in solitude or at least he tries. Janet is around but most days they do their own thing and come together for other activities like boat rides, cards and more. He sums himself up perfectly on page 400 the last paragraph. Read this heartfelt memoir and meet Charlie, his parents, siblings, children, grandchildren and those he counsels and the final page which bring tears to your eyes as the author decides his next move as he hears his mother calling: HAVE A GOOD LIFE! Charlie has finally been Hatched and Feels so alive.
Read this compelling journey of this interesting psychotherapist. Take the journey now!
Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ Magazine








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[Charles McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wanted to read someone's diary, be a fly on the wall during a private exchange, or wondered what someone, possibly your therapist, really, really thinks then Hatching Charlie will roundly satisfy that curiosity. It's a fascinating read if you just leave it at that, but, in doing so, you'd miss a rare invitation to be guided through elements of your own personal story on a parallel plane.
This book will take you on the life trajectory of one talented psychotherapist, who with candor, humor, spice, and great self-reflection tells how he "hatched" himself to find his professional calling, after many detours that could have meant a permanent derailing. He also reveals his own personal relationship struggles in the universal attempt to find love. In so doing, he offers hope to us all when we flounder and can't, for the moment, see a clear and promising path forward.
He generously shares the details of a psychologically lonely youth of disrupted attachments due to constant moving and the callousness of a narcissistic father. We agonize with him through an excruciating banishment, at 11years old, to a boarding school in France where sadism seems to be the guiding principle. He portrays, through the lens of his own hard-won experience, the scars and challenges created in soldiering through childhood alone. In this way, he connects the dots to his adult life and empathizes with all of us humans who, more or less, must pass through from childhood to adult and find our own individual way.
It is an inspiring memoir about how one person grappled with fear and isolation, and through the alchemy of self-understanding, forged a far more gratifying adult pathway. His sharing of his experiences as a therapist on an in-patient, long-term psychiatric unit alone is worth the read.
For anyone desiring to be touched by one individual's journey in wrangling with the great questions of life, in the hope some of your own might be illuminated, this is a wonderful and wise book. Written with humor, humility, clinical expertise and a loving respect for life and the human condition, Hatching Charlie heroically breaks new ground in the autobiography genre.

[Charles McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hatching Charlie: A Quest for Happiness and Meaning" is the 2nd edition of "Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale." This edition is over 40,000 words shorter, and some stories have been added, while others have been taken away. Almost every remaining sentence has been rewritten. All this has been in response to my reviewers' comments and my feeling that the first edition did not meet my own ambitions for conveying clearly, powerfully, and without redundancy that which I wished to convey. This edition does that and I think you will find it powerful, moving, touching, sometimes humorous and sometimes frightening, and an overall enthralling read about human and family issues that create obstacles for everyone in their pursuit of happiness and meaning

My thanks to the readers who have taken the time to share their thoughts; I didn't take them lightly.
Charles McCormack, MA, MSW, LCSW-C

[John Mahlmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, f’n wow

Gutsy living, gutsy writing with an eye for the absurd. This life-long story of mischievousness, rebellion, crisis, reflection, and reparation is as insightful as it is entertaining. It’s a refreshing peek into the life of a completely naked seasoned psychotherapist for the voyeurs among us.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting memoir giving insight into life's realities. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing, Powerful, Insightful, Compelling, Fantastic Read! I Loved It!

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Essence” is the coming-of-age memoir of Charles McCormack; readers follow him from his beginnings in survival mode to his achievement of self-reflection – something many people never master. Growing up, McCormack had the “traditional” home, a working father, a stay-at-home mother, and two siblings. To the outsider, nothing seems wrong, but when you learn of the inner workings of the family, you would be afraid.

McCormack’s life was anything but stable – his father was in the military, moving the family around numerous times while hiding an abusive and vindictive side that showed through every day toward his wife and kids. His mother had a side to her, too. You can’t help the urge to root for the author yet wonder how he could turn out into anything other than a product of his upbringing.

McCormack outlines memorable moments in five parts, consisting of thirty-three short chapters that each include a life lesson learned by the author; these lessons would not be realized if not for self-evaluation. The transformation observed from childhood to after retirement will amaze the reader and give hope for others living as McCormack did in his former life.

“Essence” brings about all the feelings; it’s crazy how this can happen daily for most everyone. McCormack grants the reader an inside scoop into his past and the inner workings of his mind. “Essence” is a story that is appropriate for nearly everyone, even if you haven’t experienced the same situations as the author; life lessons come from any life situation.

The author was vulnerable to share the things he did, but I believe he had the strength because he took things seriously and didn’t give up. He spoke a bit in one of the last parts of psychotherapy and its advantages – he did well incorporating and explaining this topic to a potential group of uneducated readers. Everything he spoke about in the book is understandable and relevant to today’s society.

“Essence” applies to nearly everyone and covers topics of developing self-love, self-discovery, and not giving up in the face of adversity. The story is empowering and focuses on an individual’s ability to change their life. From the first page to the last, it is remarkable to read of the complete turnaround a person can achieve – don’t give up; there is always hope at some point in your life!
One of the age-old questions that have lingered since the beginning of time is – What is this life about/what is the meaning of life? The answer will vary among those asked and the quality and quantity of thought; readers may be surprised at the difficulty level this question presents for themselves, with determining and underlying factors that play a role in the answer(s).

Psychotherapist Charles C. McCormack believes that the purpose of our lives is the pursuit of happiness; he couldn’t stop with just a statement, so he set out to prove this answer by recalling and explaining happenings he experienced throughout his life in “Healing of a Psychotherapist: A Journey of Rebellion, Reflection, and Redemption” to show that someone could have struggles and challenges along the way, but still reach the destination point of happiness and contentment.

“Healing of a Psychotherapist,” known previously and titled as “Essence,” presents the good and not-so-good sides of Dr. McCormack’s life, from being a child in his household of five, with an abusive father and passive mother, to the challenges and accomplishments along the way of growing up and achieving the position of a psychotherapist, all the while, continuing to work on understanding himself apart from the embedded trauma of his past, he continues navigating the murky waters around raising and maintaining a family of his own. Each chapter showcases a separate life event for the reader to interpret, as well as allowing them a peek into Dr. McCormack’s mind as he processes past happenings through writing. At the conclusion, and occasionally throughout the chapters, the author will include sensitive meaningful words that present a moral or lesson he learned about himself or life in general that is relatable and universal to all readers. He shows how people may seem put together externally, but the potential internal struggles may never be recognizable. As a psychotherapist, he presents stories of patients he has worked with at some point in his career, which can be left up to the reader at their discretion to explore further or skim over.

Having read “Essence” several years ago, this reader found “Healing of a Psychotherapist” equally enlightening. This book highlights Dr. McCormack’s challenges and struggles internally and externally through internal dialogue and uncertainty with his role in his various systems (family, friends, academics, social, etc.). It is the coming-of-age story of Dr. McCormack that took him many years but presents to his readers that anyone can be an “overcomer” and not be held captive by past events and feelings toward them, that one can forgive, even if you never truly forget, and therefore adjust your mindset toward those happenings as well as future ones to come. Dr. McCormack’s presentation of himself and his life events read smoothly and was captivating from page one; “Healing of a Psychotherapist: A Journey of Rebellion, Reflection, and Redemption” does not fit in a singular niche for workers in the therapy/psychology field but is much broader for readers of all levels.

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ClickOne of the age-old questions that have lingered since the beginning of time is – What is this life about/what is the meaning of life? The answer will vary among those asked and the quality and quantity of thought; readers may be surprised at the difficulty level this question presents for themselves, with determining and underlying factors that play a role in the answer(s).

Psychotherapist Charles C. McCormack believes that the purpose of our lives is the pursuit of happiness; he couldn’t stop with just a statement, so he set out to prove this answer by recalling and explaining happenings he experienced throughout his life in “Healing of a Psychotherapist: A Journey of Rebellion, Reflection, and Redemption” to show that someone could have struggles and challenges along the way, but still reach the destination point of happiness and contentment.

“Healing of a Psychotherapist,” known previously and titled as “Essence,” presents the good and not-so-good sides of Dr. McCormack’s life, from being a child in his household of five, with an abusive father and passive mother, to the challenges and accomplishments along the way of growing up and achieving the position of a psychotherapist, all the while, continuing to work on understanding himself apart from the embedded trauma of his past, he continues navigating the murky waters around raising and maintaining a family of his own. Each chapter showcases a separate life event for the reader to interpret, as well as allowing them a peek into Dr. McCormack’s mind as he processes past happenings through writing. At the conclusion, and occasionally throughout the chapters, the author will include sensitive meaningful words that present a moral or lesson he learned about himself or life in general that is relatable and universal to all readers. He shows how people may seem put together externally, but the potential internal struggles may never be recognizable. As a psychotherapist, he presents stories of patients he has worked with at some point in his career, which can be left up to the reader at their discretion to explore further or skim over.

Having read “Essence” several years ago, this reader found “Healing of a Psychotherapist” equally enlightening. This book highlights Dr. McCormack’s challenges and struggles internally and externally through internal dialogue and uncertainty with his role in his various systems (family, friends, academics, social, etc.). It is the coming-of-age story of Dr. McCormack that took him many years but presents to his readers that anyone can be an “overcomer” and not be held captive by past events and feelings toward them, that one can forgive, even if you never truly forget, and therefore adjust your mindset toward those happenings as well as future ones to come. Dr. McCormack’s presentation of himself and his life events read smoothly and was captivating from page one; “Healing of a Psychotherapist: A Journey of Rebellion, Reflection, and Redemption” does not fit in a singular niche for workers in the therapy/psychology field but is much broader for readers of all levels.

[Gita Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles McCormack writes about his life journey. Memoirs – even banal ones- hold intrigue because they open a window to another’s life and satisfy the inherent curiosity most of us have but do not acknowledge.
McCormack grew up in a time when it wasn’t unusual for parents to hammer discipline into their children. Children, especially boys, were expected to take a beating without any outward sign of distress. McCormack’s father believed in that style of parenting. He also had a temper and even trivial issues set him off. Charles was also exposed to racial segregation in America. For 18 months, McCormack was in a boarding school in France. He was the ‘outsider’, and the priest was harsher to him than to the other students. Charles’s mother was not physically abusive but the relationship was not one of trust and communication.
All of which is sad but not unusual.
What makes the book stand out is that we see Charles’s life through the prism of psychoanalysis. Charles McCormack the psychoanalyst stands outside his life and uses it as a case study to shows us how one’s childhood, family life, and social structure influence one’s choices and fashion his later life.
And that makes you wonder about your own life.
The writing is fairly good. Some parts are brilliant while at some places the back and forth between past and present is a bit distracting but not so much as to mar the book.

[Dominique Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was the title of this book that caught my eye – ‘Hatching Charlie’. Either this was a book about animal psychology (along the lines of Konrad Lorenz who allowed a nest of hatching goslings imprint on him and had to spend weeks waddling along in a crouching position at their head to enable them to grow up!) or, more likely given the picture on the front of a man and a baby – a human psychology book. Either way, the title had me hooked already.
At the present moment, I am locked in a very small room (mostly alone) with my significant other for nigh on six months – like some bizarre lab rat experiment. Except we did it to ourselves. Voluntarily! Occasionally we get a moment or two of internet and I send some smoke signals out – dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. And get a drop or two of refreshing connectedness signalled back. One of the things I got back was this book. Quite timely really, which was why I put off reading it until I was ready to. It reminded me that the two of us were engaged in this primordial dance of humanity to emerge into consciousness and that it is inevitably painful. When other people have expressed envy of our present position, I’ve said, “Well I’ll let you know if the relationship survives and if we both crawl out alive at the end,” and they’ve laughed heartily. But I’m not joking… Like the Scottish radio continuity moment the other day when two male presenters were reminiscing about whether they had Paddington Bear or Thomas the Tank Engine duvet covers and the woman joined in by commenting acerbically, ‘I just got put in a draw and told to shut up and go to sleep!’ The other two laughed and I thought – ‘she’s not joking you know…’
So for moments we stand united on the deck – the only tiny boat as far as the eye can see in the whole Hebridean sea wrapped up in twenty layers of clothing against the Scottish ‘summer’ having made our passage plans based on a confidently forecast wind direction that never turned up, stamping rhythm and singing loudly along to Pink Floyd, with me staring fascinated at the speakers ‘did I really just hear the line ‘the lunatic lies on the grass’? (I don’t listen to music much – it mostly makes me want to beat my brains out against a wall – but maybe my brain’s not connected right or something?!) and then we duck inside and have an almighty, petty-on-the-surface argument, that has a dangerous under-tow that is threatening our individual self-hoods so deeply that we are both despairing unto death. So yes, a bit of companionship on the journey by a fellow observant, believing human via Charlie was very welcome. I wouldn’t say it was a particularly comforting book. When I got to the end I had a dream that night that the little lamb running, hopping and skipping ahead of me over the fells tripped over so many rocks and had to jump down from so many stone walls that when it faltered and stopped ahead of me and I waved it to go on, it got miserable and exhausted and laid down and said it had had enough. Thus was my hope nearly extinguished. Then the next day as I felt really down and we had another big row, I prayed to God to intervene to bring something, anything, out of this to advance the situation as I felt beyond being able to do it myself. And suddenly the Other said, “What do you want to say to me?” Mindful of Charlie’s wife, who had tried to tell him for so long to be rebuffed by deaf ears (sound familiar female readers?) and his complaint that her voice was too soft (bet it wasn’t, bet it would have been plenty clear enough if he’d been willing/ready to listen), but when finally listened to, she had so much to say that it completely overwhelmed Charlie, I didn’t answer at first, wondering what part of it to say. Finally I bit off a small digestible chunk, and presented it to him. He received it, found it processable and we ended up being able to agree on a method to intervene in pointlessly burgeoning arguments that meets both our divergent needs. Result! My lamb should be dancing a fandango, but my dreams last night were extremely political in nature – and thus the symbolism (and the psychic work) ever moves on…
So basically this book starts at birth and continues with his journey towards selfhood up unto the present day (around Dec 19th). Sorry, I forgot to say that I’ve been viewing this book like an advent calendar…windows into a soul from day one onwards. But if Dec 24th is perhaps only achieved as we pass through the pearly gates, maybe none of us can much progress beyond the 19th until we are very near the end and ready enough to let go of our own egos to go on into the twenties trailing a blaze of comet-like illumination, ready to repeat fiercely and insistently to those loved ones still engaged in opening earlier windows that they must feel free to have a good life, while they themselves are hopefully willing to shout a generous ‘Bon Voyage’ back to us.

[Willow Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting approach to presenting psychoanalytic theory through recounting the details of a psychoanalyst’s life. Charlie’s autobiography is written in a clear, engaging style. He had a rough start, like so many of us do. This story takes the reader on a journey that illustrates the childhood experiences that Charlie stumbles over again and again in his adult life. He shows, through his experiences, how he learns to dive into his emotions instead of avoiding them and eventually learns how to live a happy life. This book was interesting to me because I have taken a similar journey but using the 12 steps as a vehicle for growth. The similarities between the two approaches were surprising. If you are looking for answers and are interested in learning how psychoanalysis might be a help, I would recommend this book. It is certainly more entertaining than a textbook!

[Wayne Kigerl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Climb aboard Charlie’s magical couch—have a beer, probably Freudian Stout—and enjoy the psychoanalytical ride of your life. Lay back and get into his mind; meet his wives, lovers, friends, co-workers, demons, children, and peers; share his accomplishments and failures; hopes and fears: a story of pain, joy, and self-discovery that unfolds with a clarity that few can match. Perhaps he should be committed.

No, that is the sort of joke only a friend can make. We were lifeguards together on a Maryland ocean beach, where he sort of saved me, once. I also worked in the mental health field at the Presidio, US Army—so I appreciate the challenges, accomplishments, and likely egg-tooth he was born with that enabled him to never quit, to emerge and finally take flight in that most personal of professions—psychotherapy.

To some, his journey may seem unconventional—a free-associative, flight-of-fancy, over the years, that necessitated the conquering of many hurdles, some of his own making, others the foible finger of fate—a military father failing to confront his own demons.

Nevertheless, with Charlie’s creative, inquisitive, expressive, and imaginative mind, I believe his writing will firmly garner him a place in medical history as the Oscar Wilde of Psychotherapy—his story unfolds like beautiful Salome’s (Wilde’s tragic play and more recent Tom Robbins’ novel) in which a dancer peels off each of her seven veils, until she is wearing little or nothing. As each veil drops, she comes to an epiphany about life.

In a way, Charlie’s story reads like a well-performed strip-tease—the sequined reflections of his fifty-year psychotherapeutic voyage take the reader through a kaleidoscopic journey into the sacred and profane, past many blessed and tortured realms, and eventual rapprochement with his “self”—family, wisdom, peace, transparency, and a final boat ride.

For anyone who wants to understand the challenges, rewards, and sometimes tragedies inherent in a mental health career, I cannot imagine a more revealing story.

Coming from a itinerate military family; shuffled in various schools, states, and countries; disciplined with a harsh military code of justice, overcoming a beginning as an 11-year old abandoned expatriate waif in a French boarding school; functioning as a barely focused Virginia college undergraduate, Charlie experiments, marries, mingles, travels, has children, finds his love of learning, gets a job as a social worker, endures the heart break of divorce, while fully invested in the fates of patients, some who fall by the wayside, victims of a system that sometimes acts—mechanically, bureaucratically, and corporately—bottom-line-dollar-broken and uncaring. Despite this, Charlie wades into the maelstrom, and somehow…and, I repeat…somehow…like a swimmer surfacing from crashing waves—never quits caring—and builds a successful career as a psychotherapist.

Rarely has the mental health realm been presented with such serious and yet irreverent, humane, and honest treatment. Through it all, Charlie perseveres, renews and rejoices; is true to himself, his patients and family.

Perhaps, regarding Charlie’s legacy, Oscar Wilde is again worthy of mention. His tomb, constructed in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France, is engraved with a verse from the Ballad of Reading Gaol by Wilde bequeathed to outcast men:

And alien tears will fill for him
Pity’s long-broken urn,
For his mourners will be outcast men,
And outcasts always mourn.

Unless, of course, they hop in the boat and head into the blue, their minds returning to the sea.

[Balroop Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

True to its name, Charles C. McCormack’s memoir unravels the ‘Essence’ of life that makes you learn from your experiences if you hold strong willpower and patience. He shares some profound reflections about life and captivates you with his exotic expression, right in the beginning. Look at these awe-inspiring excerpts:
“Wine-filled crystal glasses splashed their ruby light.”
“Generosity of spirit and the capacity for heartfelt gratitude are two sides of the same coin, a coin dad did not possess.”
His exquisite style of writing is flanked by honesty and plausibility. He could’ve swept his unprofessional handling of Eve’s case under the carpet but he shares it in greater detail!

Charlie’s challenges, his emotions, his battles with pain and how he learned to co-exist with them could inspire every reader. He knows that “I alone am responsible for my happiness and fulfillment; no one else” and he makes all possible effort to accomplish that. His philosophical thoughts on relationships are worth noting: “Healthy relationships are fluid: forming and reforming like a vase rising on the potter’s wheel.” There are many such gems to be discovered in this book, which won my admiration for a life well lived despite the dark corridors that he had to traverse.

[Jacques McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure. I am Jacques, Charlie’s slightly older brother referred to glowingly, and sometimes not so glowingly, in portions of his work.

Having finished “Hatching Charlie” and having put it down, I had the undeniable sensation that somehow that nemesis of my youth had had me miniaturized and placed on his shoulder and, following that, had the audacity to suggest that we set out together to reconnoiter his life experiences. Frankly, not an overly compelling proposition. We had, after all, shared a nontrivial portion of those same experiences so it would be like seeing a rerun wouldn't it? Not on your life!

What a trip it was! Yes, there were times as he chronicled the past that I found myself saying “wait a minute! I don't remember it that way!”or maybe “Give me a break, aren't you being a tad overly dramatic!?”.

That said, with me ensconced firmly on his shoulder, our journey progressed and …. my protestations waned. This because it did not take long to appreciate and admire the honesty and passion that Charlie brought to the task of informing, challenging and entertaining his reader. Because of those traits many well remembered scenes passed before my eyes, but for the first time I was seeing them through my brother’s. Quite an experience.

Well, having finished “Hatching Charlie” I wanted to report that event to him. The subject line of the email was simply “Wow!” and my note read:

Klaus (family nickname),

Over dinner tonight, at one of my go to local restaurants, I finished Hatching. What a great read. I enjoyed it, learned from it, critiqued it ... all on multiple levels, but most importantly I appreciated it. Beautifully written (e.g. I read the ending three times) and honest beyond belief! Really very well done and for what it is worth I couldn't be more proud of you!


Lisbon, Portugal

[Frank Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times whilst reading this book when I began to feel I'd need more than 5 stars to adequately rate it. So why only 4 now that I've finished? I'll come to that after I've explained what was so good about it.
Part memoir, part psychology text book, complete with real-life case studies, part rumination on the meaning of life, this is one of those books that everyone can benefit from reading. Charles McCormack takes us from a difficult childhood, through a directionless adolescence to a successful career as a therapist and on into semi-retirement. Along the way he has a lot to say about psychoanalysis as practised in the USA through the 1980s and '90s and much, much more about family relationships.
The book is written in compelling language, full of vivid descriptions of places and people; metaphors abound; ideas are illustrated with sometimes delightful, occasionally harrowing anecdotes/case histories, including elements of his own personal relationships.
I said earlier everyone can benefit from reading this book. A word of warning: don't if you are afraid of re-evaluating your own attitudes and relationships. On the other hand, if you are struggling to relate to a parent, a child, a sibling or a life partner, this could be the book you need to help you identify the source of the problem.
Coming back to that four star rating when mid-way though the book I felt it deserved more than five: there is, for me, a surfeit of final chapters. You read what you assume is the last chapter, only to turn the page and discover there is another. And another. And another. Not that they are not all good ways to end the book, just that Charles seems unable to decide which to use, or how to combine them into a single closing statement.

[Zita Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a man’s efforts to overcome his childhood and find himself. Charles grows up with an abusive father and less than supportive mother, the negative conditioning of which leads to insecurities, failing classes, being bullied, experimenting with drugs, losing jobs, etc. As we see with the author’s life, not only do parents bring views from a generation that is no longer relevant, but they also have their own demons. Add to that constant relocation, having to make new friends over and over, and we see a serious inability to adjust to life. The author shows us how it takes years, indeed a whole lifetime to peel off those crippling layers and find oneself.

Everyone will find something to relate to in this memoir since I doubt there is anyone out there who has not had to face struggles to cast off parental impact. I don’t know if everyone would be able to lay it all out for the world to read, which would require enormous courage and a level of acceptance of the past that is not easy to reach. The toxicity is always there and can rear its ugly head when least expected.

Written beautifully, sometimes humorous and sometimes even poetic, the memoirs have us rooting for Charlie because some things sound so familiar. In a way we are rooting for those parts of ourselves. I would have liked to have seen less “narration” and a bit more in-depth analysis. There was too much detail about things that might not be directly relevant to the specific journey of overcoming one’s childhood and discovering oneself, and I found myself skipping over these parts.

Overall a good read.

[E.K. Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Read

Healing of a Psychotherapist covers Charles McCormack’s life from childhood to present day. It’s an engaging read. The narrative is brutal in places, funny in others (I liked the golf scene in particular), and at times very sad. One unique aspect to the book is Charles' ability to reflect on his past experiences through his present lens as a psychotherapist; it worked well.

At times the writing felt almost intrusive - it’s good in a way in terms of the connection to the author, but the patients’ stories in particular were difficult to read; hopefully names were changed to protect their privacy. Content warnings (suicide, self-harm, abuse) would have been useful; I found the suicide particularly distressing. It was good to read in the Acknowledgements that Charles' first wife, Jane, had agreed to have her story told.

In terms of pacing, Charles' nomadic childhood and teenage years are a gripping, although often uncomfortable, read. The pace then slows in the middle, with quite a lot of therapy techniques, et cetera, which may interest someone in that field, but felt a bit heavy to me. The account then picks up again for the final third of the book.

Overall, I think this well-written book would appeal to those who enjoy memoirs or who are looking for a career in Psychology-related fields; the author has certainly led an interesting life.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

[Niharika Bhol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best read of 2023

This book was a gem. I am seriously not sure why this one isn't popular.
The story was so powerful, and I connected deeply with it as a reader. I might have shed a few tears at places, and at some, I have smiled. So to sum it up, it was an emotional roller coaster. It's rare for a book to bring in so much emotion. But this one did. This may be one of the longest reviews I have written, but I just can't stop gushing about how good this book was.
The way McCormack has poignantly depicted his childhood days, the repressed feelings, violence, racism, and socio-economic differences that he experienced and how he came through it all is worth applause. No, there is no hero complex. Nor does he time and again tell you how/what to do. Instead, it's a story of self-discovery, self-analysis. There are too many sad elements and some might find the story a bit disturbing. But we live in a world where things like this happen for real and kudos to McCormack for penning them so beautifully.
His way of storytelling is artful. There is a description about racial difference which he saw first-hand as he saw two different fountains. One for the whites and one for the black. He felt weird about it, even though of drinking from the one for the black, but eventually the fear of being judged by people won over doing the right thing. Which is exactly what a young kid will most probably do and thereby making this story so believable.
There are so many instances, that I would love to throw some light on, but that would become a spoiler alert! So, I would end my thoughts here.
P.S. I connected with the author and he is such a noble soul. Cheers for you McCormack!

[W Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Honest and Engaging Journey of Self-Discovery

This is a compelling and introspective memoir that invites readers to witness the author's personal and professional journey. McCormack's vulnerability and authenticity shine through as he shares his experiences of rebellion, reflection, and ultimately, redemption.

What I appreciated most about this book was McCormack's willingness and ability to bare his soul and expose his own struggles and triumphs. As a psychotherapist, he offers a unique perspective on the human experience, drawing from both his personal life and his work with clients.

The writing style is engaging and keeps you turning the pages, eager to see how McCormack's story unfolds. He has a way of making his experiences relatable, even if you haven't gone through the same things yourself.

While the book does delve into some heavy topics, such as childhood challenges and personal struggles, McCormack handles them with sensitivity and insight. He doesn't claim to have all the answers, but rather invites readers to reflect on their own lives and experiences.

One thing to note is that this book may not be for everyone. If you're looking for a lighthearted read or a step-by-step guide to healing, this may not be the right choice. However, if you're open to an honest and introspective look at one man's journey, you may find value in McCormack's words.