So I've just finished The Silent Patient and despite liking the plot twist (it's no masterpiece but it's a fun read) I'm kinda taken aback by how the relationship between patient x therapist is portrayed. I'm just curious to know what's real and what's romanticized about that dynamic (apart from the obvious unethical interest in the patient). Like the whole countertransference, therapist talking about their personal life, etc. To me it just sounds like someone who did very little research on psychology and decided to put it in a book, but I don't know if that's reasonable given that it is a work of fiction. Thanks in advance 💖
by Late-Veterinarian745
2 Comments
>To me it just sounds like someone who did very little research on psychology
While I agree with you about this (especially the stuff about the therapist helping the patient by taking on their trauma and experiencing it for themselves), Michaelides actually studied psychotherapy and worked in the field for a couple of years.
It’s a novel. None of the therapist‘s behavior makes a ton of sense if you untangle the temporal plot-twist.