Untangling describes the untangling of Joan's twisty past, but the book offers a second untangling as well: the untangling of the psychoanalytic process itself, told without jargon, in the ordinary but poetic language of an accomplished memoirist.

This book is a true gem, a profound contribution to the mental health community and beyond. Crafted like a novel, it pulls you in, making it impossible to put down. Through its pages, you can fully immerse yourself in the healing journey that relational analysis offers.

In Untangling, Joan Peters courageously pulls back the curtain on the profound, often mysterious relationship between analyst and patient. This beautifully written memoir invites readers into the intimate space of psychoanalysis, where vulnerability and longing take center stage. With honesty and insight, Peters explores the delicate threads of human intimacy and the many paths to emotional truth. Untangling is a poignant reflection on love, dread, and the analytic process.

A triumph! Peters's memoir reads like a spellbinding novel--a testimony to what psychoanalysis can be. Her analyst's afterword is thoughtful, intelligent, and daring.

I intended to dip into Joan Peters's memoir for half an hour, but couldn't stop reading. Page after page my admiration for Peters's bravery and generous spirit grew. Pitch-perfect and unpretentious, Untangling is a powerful testimonial to confronting rather than running from the past, however painful.

Joan Peters's uniquely brave and luminous Untangling explains why and how analysis works--or doesn't. Trauma cauterizes a child's ability to trust she can be loved. To 'untangle' her primal knots, a patient must recover that trust--and an analyst must be worthy of it. It requires an almost heroic effort of mutual attunement from both parties. It took Peters a lifetime, but she succeeded. This is a personal saga with universal wisdom to impart.

Peters, in her moving page-turner of a memoir, shows how analysis embodies pentimento, 'uncovering the painting beneath the painting.' In doing so, she illustrates how analysis enhances and transforms one's life.