Why do you think Gottlieb begins her work by informing us that her story is "right here, right now, between you and me"--that "it isn't therapy, but a story about therapy?" (7) How does this disrupt our image of the therapist as cool, objective observer?

Gottlieb sets the tone of the memoir by showing us that this will be a very intimate book. This book is not therapy, and as such, it is allowed to go back and forth between the public and private spheres. it can reveal personal information about people. She informs her reader that the book is a story about therapy so that they know right away, that this will be a deeply personal experience but also a communal tale.

At one point, Gottlieb describes the therapy room as a place of "discomfort" and "peace" (97). In what ways is therapy like a "gentle dissection"? (85) In what ways is it like a "sanctuary" (98)?