Good Morning, Monster
By Catherine Gildiner
St. Martin’s Press

The book cover and title immediately drew me in to this book! Throw in true stories from the therapist’s couch, and I am ALL IN.

Good Morning, Monster is a smart telling of the progression of five different therapy patients. The psychologist offers insights, links to theoretical concepts, and a clear view of human nature. I found this book fascinating, even more than the very good and popular title in the same genre, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.

The psychologist lets the reader see how hard she works to understand and better support the healing of her clients. She is aware of her own cultural and other biases and seeks to educate herself in order to help these individuals. It was fascinating to see the evolution of the relationship between psychologist and patient through years of therapy, concluding with the post-therapy discussions they had about the writing of this book.

I loved this book. I think it is good for anyone considering becoming a therapist as well as anyone looking to better understand the human condition. I would be lying if I didn’t also mention that peeking into the deepest darkest corners of the patients’ lives wasn’t also riveting. These individuals exhibited strength that is hard to imagine, and was the result of years of grueling therapeutic work.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review. I loved it!
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I was so incredibly impressed by this book.
A book of the stories of 5 real life heroes who withstood so much and came out on the other side of therapy so much stronger.
I don't want to spoil anything but sharing anything to specific about any of the cases. But they are written about in such an engaging way. We also get a bit of history on therapy techniques along the way.

Dr. Gildiner, a Canandian psychologist, has compiled a short list of her five most "heroic" clients, and has given her readers a glimpse of what goes on in psychotherapy. I was intrigued with the first few clients, and celebrated their healing with total fascination. As she diagnoses one of her clients with multiple personality or dissociative identity disorder, she discusses a popular book/movie entitled "Sybil", which is the "true" story of a young woman with numerous personalities, and how her therapist brought healing to her personality. Because I had done a little research on "Sybil", I was aware that her story was most likely fabricated. I wish Dr. Gildiner had omitted any reference to "Sybil" from the book, because after I read that part, I was skeptical about the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This was a beautiful book. I liked the balance of talking about difficult things and trying to be honest about how they affect you. I would recommend this book.

This book was so much better than I'd anticipated. The author, a psychologist, writes a book sharing the stories of five of her client: people who experienced abuse as children. Reading the narrative on how these individuals were able to work through their traumas and become the people they were meant to be was inspiring. You will realize the resilience of the human soul is alive and well. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #GoodmorningMonster

I received this ARC from NetGalley and finished it three days ago. Thank you NetGalley.
Why three days and no review? Well, this book just took my breath away and I was waiting to catch it.
The author Catherine Gildiner is a retired psychologist writing about five of her most interesting case studies/patients. Heart wrenching, sad, and inspirational only comes so for in the individual stories and healing process. This book will stay with me for a long time and as a warning to others, it is hard to read.
Each section covers one patient and about five years of therapy. With so much going on with each patient it's a wonder they ever were able to function by any standard.
Whenever I read a book, I am always interested in how the title relates to the story and in this I had to wait until the last section. It is a very clear message.
If you ever thought you were raised in a seriously dysfunctional you need to read this. Some people are truly raised by wolves.

To quote the description (because it always reads better than anything I could ever say):“Good Morning Monster offers an almost novelistic, behind-the-scenes look into the therapist's office, illustrating how the process can heal even the most unimaginable wounds.”

This book was so intriguing and eye-opening. It really gives the reader a bird’s eye view on the work of a therapist and the challenges that can be faced. It also illustrates how these challenges can be overcome.

I underestimated this book! Intriguing story of people that has survived childhood abuse and neglect. Captivating tale of how the abuse manifested within their lives as adults. Despite all odds, this group of the authors patients managed to move beyond their traumas and become high functioning in their later years. The authors offers theories about how these individuals defied the odds. Catherine Gildiner is a talented writer and does a good job engaging the reader.. it is a recommended read with trigger warning due to themes of abuse and neglect. Tnank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

A psychologist’s experience working with clients, sharing five stories of people who had experienced trauma or abuse as children and their ability to work through or overcome some of the false beliefs and coping mechanisms they utilized to survive. She calls them psychological heroes because of the great strides they were able to make through therapy.

Very interesting and not a little upsetting and disturbing at the things parents and caregivers have done to children. Inspired by the client's resiliency and ability to overcome hardships.

This well written book featured five heroic patients of Dr. Gildiner, including her very first patient and her last one that she actually came out of her psychotherapy retirement to help.

Laura, 26, initially came to see Dr. Gildiner because she suffered from constant and painful herpes given to her by her boyfriend of two years. Laura was a workaholic who always tried to be perfect. She told Dr. Gildiner she knew the definition of stress and anxiety, but she didn’t know how it felt even though at the age of 9, she had to take on the sole parental role to her two younger siblings, 8 and 6, when their father abandoned them in their cabin in the woods. Laura’s childhood issues of abandonment and betrayal were major issues that contributed to her current problems along with her unwavering devotion to the father who abandoned her and her siblings.

Peter, a thirty four year old very successful musician, suffered from impotence. He yearned to have a normal relationship with a women including sex. Dr. Gildiner had to uncover Peter’s emotional problems which stemmed from his early childhood. Peter was isolated for many hours during the crucial first stages of child development. Throughout his childhood, Peter endured child neglect and abuse.

Danny was a Cree man who didn’t feel pain after losing his wife and young daughter in a car crash. Working with Danny was also an educational experience for Dr. Gildiner. She needed to reach out to Native healers and an Indigenous psychiatrist in order to understand their culture and find ways to better communicate with Danny. Danny and his older sister enjoyed life with their parents in Canada and followed the customs of their people. However, their lifestyle abruptly ended when Danny, 5, and Rose, 8, were taken away by government officials and transported to a residential school more than a thousand kilometers away from their parents and home. This was 1988 and Canada’s policy to eradicate their First Nations culture was very much in place. At a young age, Danny not only had to deal with being abducted and feelings of abandonment, but also abuse and loss of all sense of identity.

Alana, a highly intelligent thirty five year old, suffered from feelings of anxiety, guilt, and shame stemming from a traumatic past in which she was repeatedly raped by her father and his friends who were all members of the Ted Bundy Fan Club. She also had to pretend to enjoy the sex or the father threatened to moved on to her younger sister. Alana did whatever it took to save and protect her sister.

Madeline, 36, was the patient Dr. Gildiner saw after she had left her practice. She had treated Madeline’s father and his wife for a short period of time, and couldn’t refuse his request to help his daughter. Madeline suffered from anxiety and obsessive compulsive behavior that was threatening to affect her business as a very successful antique dealer. Madeline’s problems began at a young age. When Madeline was 11, her parents took a 6 week trip to Russia and she was left home alone - on purpose. “Good Morning, Monster” was the greeting Madeline endured every morning by none other than her very own mother.

This was one of those books that once you start reading, you want to continue in order to see if these patients get the help they so deserve to move on with their life. But at the same time, after the conclusion of each patient’s psychotherapy session with Dr. Gildiner, you need to take a short break before reading about the next patient. These stories were about emotional recovery and they were very emotional, heartbreaking, and at times difficult to read. But it was also inspirational and heartwarming especially when their therapy helped them reclaim parts of their lives. There was bit of light humor involved by some of these patients as humor was often used as a coping mechanism.

Dr. Gildiner’s patients endured tremendous suffering, but their bravery and perseverance knew no bounds. They were survivors and heroes in the truest sense of the word. If you enjoy reading inspirational books like Educated, you will definitely want to read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Books for this advance reader's copy of Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner.

I am a big fan of books about the psychology of people, especially books written about the relationship between a therapist and thier patients. I am studying psychology right now, one semester to to until my bachelor's degree, so these kinds of books really speak to me and tie in to what I am learning in my classes. This book was exactly what I like, the interplay of the therapist and the patient, weaving in details of the mechanics of psychology as the patients stories unfold. I also really liked that these five patients, and their stories, encompassed the entirety of Dr. Gildiner's practice. The first patient featured was her very first patient in real l.ife, the last patient featured was her last patient in real life. This was a very nice way to create a natural beginning and end to the book.

I was a little distracted by some pop culture references and explanations in the book, as I didn't find the explanations necessary and I felt that they distracted from the stories. Some people may need the explanations, for those people I'm glad that they are in the book, I just didn't need them.

For fans of patient stories and books written from a psychologist's perspective, this one is perfect for you!

Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery
Catherine Gildiner
St. Martin's Press (September 22, 2020)
https://us.macmillan.com/smp/
13-digit ISBN number 978-1250271488
List Price $27.99
Genre: nonfiction, memoir, psychology
Suanne Schafer
suanneschafer.author@gmail.com
SuanneSchaferAuthor.com

Good Morning, Monster is a fascinating look at the therapeutic psychological practice of Catherine Gildiner, a fascinating memoir of how she dealt with five clients, all so severely emotionally damaged that they had to be superheroes to survive their early lives. Gildiner charts her own course, beginning with her very first patient, as she learns the things she didn’t learn in her formalized schooling. She gradually becomes able to modify her approach to handle the specifics of a client’s case and writes about their growth and her own with grace, humor, and humility.

In this compilation, the reader meets five of Gildiner’s most difficult cases. She expertly grapples such diverse and difficult topics as child abuse, neglect, abandonment, gender-based violence, sexual abuse and trauma. These people have been so psychologically traumatized that they developed maladaptive behaviors such as trauma-based triggers, denial, and shame to compensate, yet their spirits remain indomitable. They choose to deal with these internal issues, to heal themselves, to grow emotionally, to become “whole.”

These stories are about recovery from childhood trauma with the requisite emotional recovery and growth; thus they are both difficult to read because of the subject matter, yet heartwarming, heartbreaking, and inspirational. Gildiner offers a glimpse of the role of the psychotherapist: to become involved in a reciprocal relationship to help clients resolve their innermost issues.

As a family practice physician, I enjoyed this glimpse into a practitioner of a related field. Many times, as a primary care physician, I’ve had to refer patients to therapists, and it was interesting to see the inner workings of psychologist and patient.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Readers who have a voyeuristic desire to know what goes on behind the closed doors of a therapist's office will be swept away by the compelling stories Dr. Catherine Gildiner shares of five clients who have overcome significant childhood trauma. As each of her clients works through their past abuse, the emotional growth and fortitude they display are mind-blowing. Equally as fascinating is Dr. Gildiner's insight into the therapy process -- which doesn't always go as smoothly as planned.

This will easily earn a spot on my list of best books of 2020. Highly recommended.

Five stories, five people who look just like you and me, all go to prove that you can never tell what a person is dealing with on the inside. These case studies from the notes of a caring, confident, psychologist may just change how you perceive and treat people. Every one of these accounts are interesting and engaging and make you want to know more about the people they represent. Better yet, they each have an after-story, as the author goes back to get permission to tell of their struggles in this book. The author of this book is also very informative, laying out psychological terms and diagnoses in a way that a layman can understand. She is raw and real and willing to admit her mistakes as she looks back at each case with 20/20 hindsight. I’m thankful I read this book and grateful for the look it gave me into the lives of others. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

I keep trying to decipher what the lesson of this book is, and I think it boils down to this: if you have been horribly emotionally damaged, you may never be able to repair yourself completely, but don't let that discount the progress it IS possible to make.

This is being billed as an "inspiring" book, but I'm not sure inspired is the emotion I felt after reading it. It's good - it's really good. I was interested in each patient profiled, I couldn't have stopped reading their stories even if I'd wanted to. I was intrigued by Dr. Gildiner, and appreciated that she was transparent about the mistakes she made in each case. I loved learning more about how therapy works from the therapist's side of the room.

But inspired? Mostly I just felt sad at the capacity humans have for hurting other humans, for the ways that hurt can easily get passed on generations down the line, and for all the times the people who are SUPPOSED to notice and follow up on suspected neglect or abuse just ... don't. In every case, the patient who was abused as a child could have been saved a world of hurt had other adults stepped in and said, "no, something isn't right here."

Thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy!

"Good Morning, Monster" is both interesting and at times disturbing. The author is a retired psychotherapist and she has written about five of her patients whom she considers heroes because of what they endured as children, how they coped, and their recoveries with the assistance of therapy as adults. These five men and women experienced significant abuse and/or neglect as children, which greatly distorted their outlook on life, their understanding of what was "normal", their understanding of how they "deserved" to be treated by others, and how they interacted with others, which led to problems both as children and later in life, even if they appeared "successful" as adults. The story of Alana is probably the most horrifying account of abuse and neglect I have read or heard about; even more disturbing is the author's admission that she kept some of the worst material out of the book because she thought it would be too much for readers to handle.

One of the things I particularly liked about the book is that the author explains various psychological conditions and techniques in an understandable manner. She explains why she utilized particular approaches with each patient. The author acknowledges when she made errors -- making incorrect assumptions, pushing the patient too hard, missing signs of a deeper problem, etc. -- and how that affected the therapy for the specific patient and how it influenced her approach with future patients. She also discusses the inadequacies of "western" psychological theories and practices, which was evident in her treatment of Danny, an Indigenous man. She quickly realized that in order to treat Danny, it would require both the therapy practices she utilized and the spiritual and cultural practices of Indigenous groups.

While certainly a "tough" read at times because of the subject manner, "Good Morning, Monster" is worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Catherine Gildiner is a bestselling memoirist, a novelist, and a psychologist who practiced privately for 25 years. From all her cases, she chose five heroes, men and women who overcame horrific abuse and shared their stories in this book. These are well-told and honest stories, compassionate and riveting but not sensational or lurid. The writing voice is calm, positive and hopeful.

All of the individuals presented met with Ms. Gildiner for four to five years. You will get to see what therapy is like, which is fascinating. You will also be astounded at how horrible people can be to young children. Each of these individuals was tortured in some way, mentally or physically, on a daily basis by their parents. (Perhaps all people should go through therapy before they become parents!) One young girl was left at age 9, alone in a cabin with her younger siblings, for 6 months! And that was just one experience in her life. That these heroes were even able to function as adults is a testament to their own personal strengths. To read how brave they were to overcame their crippling conditions is empowering.

Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

A tell all book of five brave souls who have been a patient of Therapist Dr. Gildiner. I won't tell you that it is an easy book to read as each of the patients have been to Hell and back but the joy is that they all came out the other side. Abused as children and adults by people they trusted they all had emotional and physical scars that ran deep. Dr. Gildiner helped them slay dragons to find love and the light at the end of the tunnel. This could have been a clinical retelling of some colorful and horrific examples of the need for therapy but the author has a gift for presenting all of them in a heroic and very humanistic way. This is a must for anyone starting the journey of therapy or for young professionals guiding others in the journey. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I'm a BIG fan of memoirs. It's like being a fly on the fly in someone else's story. I get to experience them up close and personal. And I know it's real life. Real pain. Real joy.

But Dr. Catherine Gildiner's "Good Morning, Monster" is another level memoir.

In it, she takes us inside her psychology practice--and thus into the lives of five of her most remarkable patients. She introduces us to her psychological heroes: Laura, Peter, Danny, Alana and Madeline. Each patient has faced considerable trauma and they're people with seemingly different lives, temperaments, cultural and economic issues. Yet, they're connected in a very unique way, which is summed up in the epilogue.

She said: "Each had to slay a different Minotaur, each used a different weapon and each employed different battle strategies. They found what was in those dark corners, dragged it into the light, and confronted it."

This book is similar to the popular "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone," written by the therapist and journalist, Lori Gottlieb. I loved that book as well. The difference is that in "Good Morning, Monster," Dr. G shares her patient's stories that span a career or more than 25 years and she only focuses on her patient's therapies--not her own. Since Dr. G has written other best-selling memoirs about her personal life, we do not learn much about her history. That said, she did reveal her insecurities and learnings as a clinical psychologist -- from her very first patient (Laura) to her very last (Madeline).

In her author's note, she writes: "This is not a book for academics, but for the general public. Although I wanted the book to be inspirational, I also wanted it to be a learning tool. I have reconstructed our conversations from my session notes with each patient. ... I think them all for sharing their battles with me and with others. I'm sure Peter, the musician, spoke for all when he said, 'If sharing my story helps even one person who is suffering, it will have been worth it."

I highly recommend this book. And many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Press (now owned by Penguin Random House).

Wow. This book. Talk about 5 incredibly strong and brave human beings. All five patients went through some serious trauma throughout their childhood, trauma that would push most people past their breaking point. The fact that these people were able to sit down and unpack everything they had been through is truly remarkable. If you liked Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, you will love this book! I can’t necessarily say I enjoyed the stories, because hello trauma, they just broke my heart, but I did enjoy the way Dr. Gildiner told them, and that she was open and honest in admitting when she made an error in their care, or missed something important. I also really liked that she explained her thought process behind their care at times, and the amount of research she did to help her patients, especially Danny, was truly heartwarming. I really learned a lot about indigenous culture and the horrible way they were treated throughout Danny’s story as well, it was disturbing and had me in tears. It was clear she truly cared about her patients. I think each patient had an important story and there was so much to learn from reading each of them. I absolutely loved this one, and highly recommend you grab a copy when it comes out on September 22nd!