Unruly Therapeutic: Black Feminist Writings and Practices in Living Room

by Foluke Taylor

Centering the experiences of black women allows for richer therapeutic practices for everyone. “Black feminisms have provided a foundation from which it becomes more possible to speak and write of interconnection―of a spirited life, soul, a natural mystic blowing through the air―and engagement with all of this in therapeutic practice.”   Part thesis, part memoir, and part poetry, this book is unlike any other therapeutic text. Psychotherapist and writer Foluke Taylor explores how the centering of black women’s experiences in therapeutic scholarship allows for greater space―space for wandering, for wondering, and for deepening narratives―in every therapeutic relationship. Beginning with the book’s poetic structuring, Taylor rejects the need for a streamlined solution, instead inviting the reader to take a different path through her crucial research―one that is unruly, nonlinear, and celebratory of the richer, fuller narratives allowed for by black feminisms.  

Genres: Mental Health, Nonfiction, Psychology, Counselling

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2023

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way Taylor brings to life theory and lets it sit within her personhood is evocative, and powerful. Taylor doesn't look for answers, she looks for the questions that will brighten, and she looks to sit in the despair that we need to grapple with before we envision a new world.

[Thandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished this book yet, but I had to pause to share how profound and wonderful it is! It's been such a transformative read thus far, and I'm excited to see where it takes me. I feel overwhelming gratitude to my psychoanalyst for recommending this book and to Foluke Taylor for writing it!

As a Black queer woman and psychologist who practices psychotherapy and plans to become a psychoanalyst, this book is definitely for me. HOWEVER, I think this book is for EVERYONE!

[AJ Guerrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a licensed psychotherapist in private practice, would recommend this book for seasoned practitioners and newly minted therapists

[Jennifer Fearon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unruly Indeed

I loved this book. It challenged everything I thought I knew about writing, structure and organising my thoughts and feelings. Taylor took me on a journey that challenged me to flow with the words and not worry about full stops, where a paragraph should start and end.
I loved the not knowing and creating my own thoughts and thinking about therapy, poetry, black feminism, poetry and everything. An interesting and provocative read that pushed me out of my comfort zone.