Review of The Fifty-Minute Hour

Review of The Fifty-Minute Hour by Robert Lindner

Lindner's book The Fifty-Minute Hour is a great contribution to the psychoanalytic literature. The book is comprised of several case history which are discussed by Lindner with his commentary on the process. The perspective Lindner approaches therapy from is primarily a classical psychoanalytic approaches. As such, this book provides great insight into what is is link to be a classically orientated psychoanalytic therapists.

It is a rare gift for a therapist as talented as Lindner to also be able to write as skillfully as Lindner. It brings thoughts of Yalom's many clinical stories, vignettes, and novels. The reader can easily begin to think that he or she is reading a novel or, at times, a suspense story. The therapy experience really comes alive; often to the degree that the reader feels genuinely engaged in the therapeutic process.

I've used this book previously in courses on psychodynamic theory, often requiring students to read one of the stories. Many of the students ended up reading the entire book because they became so enthralled in the stories. In addition to being entertaining, students routinely stated that this book helped them think about how they approach therapy and deepened their understanding of the psychodynamic process. This is a great read for those interested in deepening their understanding of classical approaches to pscyhodynamic theories and students beginning to learn how to be a psychodynamic therapist. However, it is important to keep in mind that this classical approach is often very different from the more contemporary approaches to psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy.