Living with the "Gloria Films": A Daughter's Memory

by Pamela J. Burry

The 60s film ‘Three Approaches to Psychotherapy’ is iconic. The client in the film, Gloria, was divorced and concerned about her daughter’s direct questions about her boyfriends and sex life. At the time the topic had pith, intrigue and moral uncertainty. The reverberations began immediately, and Gloria became the subject of countless papers and rumours. This sets the record straight.

Genres: Psychology, Counselling, Memoir

170 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 2013

Reviews

[Jennie Howatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sometimes found this memoir hard to follow, as the author jumps from topic to topic frequently. Overall, however, it satisfied my curiosity to know what happened to the woman who participated in, arguably, the most famous psychological films of the 20th century.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

You only have to say ‘Pammy’ to a counsellor and they will know exactly who you are talking about. It’s why I pounced on   Living with 'The Gloria Films' by Pamela J Burry.

At some point in every counsellor’s training, they will be shown ‘ The Gloria Films ’. In the films, newly-divorced mother, Gloria, has three psychotherapy sessions with celebrated therapists - Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis and Fritz Perls - and each gives their response to what was most troubling Gloria at that time - dating and fielding questions about her sex life from her then nine-year-old daughter, Pammy.

I have watched the films a dozen times (particularly the Carl Rogers section, because he is considered the founder of person-centred therapy) and spent a fair amount of academic time analysing the therapists’ micro-skills. But in doing so, I always wondered what the experience was like for the subject, Gloria (pause and consider the irony given we’re talking person-centred therapy). Because the enduring quality of the films has less to do with the therapists and more to do with Gloria, who reveals her vulnerabilities, insecurities and anger in a way that is striking.

Burry acknowledges that her audience for the book is a ‘select and meagre group’, likely made up of clinicians, Gestaltists, Rogerians, and ‘…slightly voyeuristic, ageing therapists who saw the films in training and wouldn’t mind a bit more of the story…’. Burry delivers. There are anecdotes about each therapist (notably Perls using Gloria’s cupped hands as an ashtray!); excerpts from correspondence between Rogers and Gloria (their friendship extended until Gloria’s death from cancer, aged 46); insights into Gloria as a person - warm, generous of spirit and with her time, good fun, determined; and glimpses of the early days of the Esalen Institute.

You know when you watch reality TV and think ‘what kind of person volunteers for this?’. Could the same be said for The Gloria Films? No. They were intended to be used for training only, and then suddenly were being shown in cinemas (because people were curious about therapy). Burry notes that Gloria had gained something by participating in the films but also endured a lot, including criticism of her parenting, attacks on her character, and loss of privacy.

Burry herself is no stranger to the intricacies of therapy and therefore understands the delicacy of the relationship -

What would have happened if Carl Rogers had received Gloria’s affectionate attention in the negative: if he had overlooked her entreaties, or shamed her, or reduced her feelings to the need to enlighten her to an understanding of her ‘neurosis’? At the least, she and Rogers would not have had an extended relationship. At the extreme, Gloria may have curtailed, or postponed, her personal development. Such development for my mother, I believe, began at the filming: under the hot lights, facing three psychologists..

As Burry said, the readership here is narrow but if you have seen any of The Gloria Films, find a copy of this book, not because it’s the ultimate ‘Where are they now?’ follow-up piece, but because Burry fleshes out this woman who was trying with all her might, was loving, suffered great losses, and never stopped striving for happiness.

…Gloria alternated between a desire to change and a desire to simply accept and understand who she was…

3.5/5 Some fascinating insights.

[Eric Vogel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nuggets of information about Gloria and the Three Approaches films are fascinating for anyone in Psychology, and that makes the book worth reading. Her daughter's perspective on this is not quite firsthand, and so I got a little frustrated over what she could not tell me. Also, it is a very personal memoir, written in a style that is more for the author's benefit than the readers, so just as a book it isn't that great.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got lost reading the book at times. The author jumps from one time to another which confused me. Having said that, I am glad I read it as I have seen the films.

[Ashleigh Hoare · Rating 2 out of 5]

• in 1964, Three therapists, all who practiced different forms of psychotherapy (Person-Centred, Gestalt and Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT essentially an early form of CBT) filmed therapy sessions with the same client, Gloria, to showcase the differences between approaches
• Gloria was real, the issues she spoke in therapy we real. Gloria was under the impression that these tapes would only be used in specific settings (to train psychologists and counsellors), but these tapes ended up being shown in cinemas and were well-known
• Gloria was incredibly embarrassed by this. Her participation had been an act of good will and she was ultimately exploited
• this book is written by Gloria's eldest daughter and tracks their family history marred with marriages, meditation, therapy, the journey for inner peace and tragedy - Gloria lost a son to leukemia and died herself of cancer at only 45

This was an OK read. The timeline presented isn't chronological which makes it difficult to read in parts.

[Sarah Twist · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gloria films are still something used as a piece of training materials in therapist training today. It is easy to forget that Gloria is a real person bringing her real problem to these therapists instead of what we usually see today where the video demonstrations are done by actors. This book seeks to tell more of Gloria's life, so that she can be seen as a person outside of those recordings. In this the book achieves its goal. There also appears to be some attempt at wisdom about life, psychotherapy, relationships and family, and at this I believe it fails. Not a bad book, and one that is valuable to be read by those who regularly use the Gloria films as training tools to fill her out as a person (and dispel the myths surrounding her life), but not something that everyone should read, or even every student who sees the films should read

[Simon Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a trainee counsellor, I have watch the Gloria films multiple times, bith in and out of the classroom. To be honest, I became fascinated with them and my tutor recently told me that Gloria's daughter had written a book about the experience and aftermath.

I eagerly started reading it and was pleasently surprised with the experience. While I got a great insight on how the films and experience affected Gloria, I really got a feel for who the real Gloria was and her family life. By the time I finished the book, I genuinely felt like I had gotten to know Gloria and I felt privileged that I had been allowed a glimpse of who she really was.

If you've ever seen the films, then this book will be worth reading and your'll definitely get something out of it.

[Ruth This one · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audience for this book is niche - counselling and psychotherapy students who still in the 2020s are watching as part of their training the Gloria Tapes, three examples of different psychotherapy modalities conducted by old white men with one young woman, Gloria. Whether the videos nowadays are cautionary of how now to conduct therapy sessions is a discussion for another platform. Nevertheless I have enjoyed getting to know Gloria in this book and appreciated her boldness, her intelligence and her vivacity. Should be required reading alongside the videos.

[Carrow Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading about this as a psy major. During one of my education sessions, the Gloria Films were mentioned, but we were told we would have to view it on our own time. I must have watched them three times while studying the methods used and then Gloria herself. This book does a great job of highlighting the events that happened afterwards and it was an odd kind of closure for me. I'm grateful Pamela wrote this for us.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, heart warming and heart breaking read. It's easy to get lost in the lives of these brilliant, vibrant women. I am so grateful I was given such a gift, and I will definitely be visiting again in the future.

[Abby Barnard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really cool. I enjoyed getting to learn about Gloria from her Daughters perspective. I have never read anything like this. Pamela is a very good writer. The quotes she produced could be used in any context but made perfect sense in hers.

[Frank Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was well done. Gloria's daughter uses a lot of sources to weave together the aspects of the story. I also found some clips of the videos on the web and got some experience of what the encounters were like. "Gloria" was interviewed by Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis and Fritz Perls.