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A Therapeutic Journey

Lessons from the School of Life

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A Therapeutic Journey

By: Alain de Botton
Narrated by: Charlie Anson
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Brought to you by Penguin.

The essential guide to mental health from the bestselling author of The School of Life

This is a book about getting unwell. About losing direction and hope. About imagining that we have let ourselves and everyone down.

But it is also a book about getting better. About regaining the thread, rediscovering meaning and finding a way back to connection and joy.

Here, Alain de Botton follows the arc of a mental health journey, from crisis to recuperation; the moments we realize we cannot cope; the acts of selfcare or therapy in which we find respite; and the days we finally reclaim a sense of stability. Written with understanding and kindness, it is both a source of companionship in our loneliest moments - whether it's a relationship breakdown, a career setback or anxiety around the everyday - and a practical guide that will help us find reasons for hope.

We are all on our own journey towards recovery. This book is for anyone ready to understand theirs.

©2023 Alain de Botton (P)2023 Penguin Audio Consciousness & Thought Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Self-Esteem Health Thought-Provoking Mental Health
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Critic reviews

'Alain de Botton is a brave and highly intelligent writer' Observer

'One of our most consistently illuminating writers on contemporary culture' John Gray, New Statesman
All stars
Most relevant
At times I felt the author must know me and that he wanted me to look at myself and my thoughts from a different perspective.
The ideas presented in this book have changed me and have allowed me to understand why my mind has acted it the way it has done. It has challenged my continual and soul destroying levels of worry. I feel free and grateful.

A kind and gentle challenge to my way of thinking

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Full of powerful insights on how to be a human and navigate healthy relationships

Amazing

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One of the most realistically told stories of human life and its suffering written by one of the greatest minds of modern philosophy

A real therapeutic journey.

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I would need to listen to it several times to soak in all the information. It was good enough for me to want to listen to it again, there were many gems in this book and it was a comforting book. I felt better about myself after reading this, so I assume the authors intention of this being a compassionate look at the human condition, did positively affect me and my outlook on others. An interesting book with gives you a lot to think about.

The variety of topics discussed was impressive

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The book? A masterpiece. The narration? An absolute catastrophe. Alain de Botton’s words deserve to be delivered with grace and insight, yet we’re subjected to a voice so devoid of charm it feels almost criminal. The real tragedy? De Botton himself has a voice like a fine vintage—rich, warm, and infinitely engaging. Why, oh why, is he not the one reading?

As if that weren’t enough, the production is a shambles. Chapter 8 doesn’t so much transition as it does crash headfirst into the next section. Sloppy, careless, and frankly unforgivable. A truly great book let down by sheer incompetence. What a travesty!

Brilliant book but the narration? Where do I start?

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