He had learned long ago that, in general, the easier it was for anxious patients to reach him, the less likely they were to call. (107)
Irvin D. YalomRead
Psychiatry is a strange field because, unlike any other field of medicine, you never really finish. Your greatest instrument is you, yourself, and the work of self-understanding is endless. I'm still learning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Psychiatry requires continuous self-reflection and learning from oneself.
In this quote, Irvin D. Yalom highlights the unique nature of psychiatry as a medical field where the practitioner's own understanding and personal growth are crucial to their effectiveness. Unlike other medical disciplines where a definitive mastery can be achieved, psychiatry thrives on the ongoing journey of self-discovery and learning, emphasizing the importance of the therapist's own introspection in helping others.
Themes
PsychiatrySelf-UnderstandingLearningGrowthIntrospection
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about mental health, to emphasize the importance of self-awareness in therapy.
More from Irvin D. Yalom
All quotes βA curious thought experiment. . . Nietzsche's message to us was to live life in such a way that we would be willing to repeat the same life eternally
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A sense of life meaning ensues but cannot be deliberately pursued: life meaning is always a derivative phenomenon that materializes when we have transcended ourselves, when we have forgotten ourselves and become absorbed in someone (or something) outside ourselves
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Marriage and its entourage of possession and jealousy enslave the spirit.
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It is wrong to bear children out of need, wrong to use a child to alleviate loneliness, wrong to provide purpose in life by reproducing another copy of oneself. It is wrong also to seek immortality by spewing one's germ into the future as though sperm contains your consciousness!
Irvin D. YalomRead
Life is a spark between two identical voids, the darkness before birth and the one after death.
Irvin D. YalomRead
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