Irvin D. Yalom is an American existential psychiatrist who is emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, as well as an author of both fiction and nonfiction.
Dr. Yalom turned 94 recently, and is no longer seeing patients for consultation. Please contact his son, psychotherapist Benjamin Yalom, with inquiries.
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Irvin D. Yalom and Benjamin Yalom
Facing memory loss as he approached 90, Irvin Yalom was forced to vastly reconsider his sessions with patients. Rather than throw in the towel, he revolutionized his practice, focusing on what might be achieved in a one-hour, one-time-only meeting between patient and practitioner.
In Hour of the Heart, Yalom recounts some of these intense, life-changing consultations, as well as changes to his memory and sense of self. These stories show how a therapist’s willingness to be open helps patients let down their own guards, leading to deeper and more immediate connection.
Life is precious and our time together short. Written in collaboration with his son, Hour of the Heart shows us how to relate better in the moment, with more honesty and vulnerability.
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The international bestseller that imagines Friedrich Nietzsche in "talking cure" sessions with Josef Breuer — the perfect first Yalom book and winner of the Commonwealth Club Gold Medal for Best Fiction.
The definitive text on group psychotherapy for over fifty years — used in training programs worldwide and now in its sixth edition, co-written with Molyn Leszcz.
Ten absorbing true tales from the therapy room that made psychotherapy writing a literary genre — still the most-recommended introduction to what therapy actually feels like.
Yalom's magnum opus on the four "ultimate concerns" — death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness — the founding text of American existential psychotherapy.
Eighty-five bite-size chapters distilling thirty-five years of clinical wisdom — an open letter to a new generation of therapists and their patients.
Yalom turns his therapeutic gaze on himself — from a Washington, D.C. immigrant childhood to Stanford professorship and worldwide literary fame.
A compassionate guide to overcoming the terror of death — how confronting mortality can wake us up to a richer, more engaged life.
Ten new tales of psychotherapy written in Yalom's ninth decade — patients and therapist alike wrestling with life's brevity and finding meaning in it.
A wry, suspenseful novel that pulls back the curtain on the therapist's side of the couch — boundaries, temptation and the messy humanity of healers.
Six tales — four true, two fiction — probing love, loss and the mother-bond, including the beloved "Seven Advanced Lessons in the Therapy of Grief."
| # | Book | Type | First published | Best for | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | When Nietzsche Wept | Novel | 1992 | Readers new to Yalom | 9.6/10 | BUY |
| 2 | The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy | Textbook | 1970 / 6th ed. 2020 | Therapists & students | 9.7/10 | BUY |
| 3 | Love's Executioner | Case Stories | 1989 | Curious general readers | 9.5/10 | BUY |
| 4 | Existential Psychotherapy | Textbook | 1980 | Deep theoretical grounding | 9.5/10 | BUY |
| 5 | The Gift of Therapy | Guide | 2002 | New & training therapists | 9.4/10 | BUY |
| 6 | Becoming Myself | Memoir | 2017 | Fans of the author | 9.2/10 | BUY |
| 7 | Staring at the Sun | Guide | 2008 | Confronting mortality | 9.1/10 | BUY |
| 8 | Creatures of a Day | Case Stories | 2015 | Love's Executioner fans | 9.0/10 | BUY |
| 9 | Lying on the Couch | Novel | 1996 | A gripping therapy novel | 9.0/10 | BUY |
| 10 | Momma and the Meaning of Life | Case Stories | 1999 | Stories of grief & meaning | 8.9/10 | BUY |
Irvin D. Yalom and Marilyn Yalom
A year-long journey by renowned psychiatrist Irvin Yalom, and his wife, esteemed feminist writer Marilyn Yalom, after her terminal diagnosis, as they reflect on how to love and live without regret. With the wisdom of those who have thought deeply, and the familiar warmth of teenage sweethearts who've grown up together, they investigate universal questions of intimacy, love, and grief.
“An unforgettable and achingly beautiful story of enduring love. I will be thinking about this for years to come.”
—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone