Review of We've Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy
& the World's Getting Worse

We've Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy and the World's Getting Worse
by James Hillman & Michael Ventura

What's wrong with psychotherapy? It's a question that needs to be asked. But Hillman and Ventura don't just ask it in the context of the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Instead, they ask what impact is psychotherapy having on the world. Going even further, they claim that the focus on psychotherapy effectiveness is part of the problem with psychotherapy. The excessive focus on the individual to the neglect of the community is part of the reason why psychotherapy is contributing to the world getting worse according to Hillman and Ventura. But that's not all.

Maybe the biggest problem with psychotherapy is its contribution to the passivity of so many of its satisfied consumers. Maybe, instead of comfort and the ability to comfortably deal with the troubles of the world, what is really needed is more outrage. This is a big part of Hillman's thesis which Ventura happily agrees with.

The book takes on an interesting style. It emerges from an interview of Hillman by Ventura that originated as an article in LA Weekly. The book is the expanded project. It begins with the original interview. The second part of the book contains letters back and forth between Hillman and Ventura before ending with another dialogue. The book feels more like a dialogue than a traditional book. This contributes to some of the intrigue of the book.

In typical fashion for James Hillman, this book is controversial and often hard to swallow. His basic premises make a lot of sense. In general, I found myself nodding along with most of the central themes of this book, but often disagreed with some of the more specific content. But I don't think the point of the book is to get people to agree on the more specific premises advocated. Rather, the book serves the purpose of encouraging people to engage in healthy critique of psychotherapy.

While I imagine many people would disagree with much of this book and even find much of it disturbing, it still remains an important read. It's vital that students and professionals in the mental health field engage in critical thought about the field. If nothing else, this book will likely do a great job at stimulating some thought and discussion.