Psychodynamic therapy looks at how feelings, relationships and patterns you are not fully aware of shape your life now. It can be hard to picture before you try it, and reading about it is a good way to find out whether it fits you. Dr. Rabin's approach is relational and psychoanalytically informed, and she adapted six of her working principles from psychologist Jonathan Shedler. You can read more on her psychodynamic therapy page.
The list moves from books written for anyone to texts written for clinicians. Every title, author and year below was checked on the publisher's or the author's own page. We have not rated or ranked them. Choose by how deep you want to go.
1. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb (2019)
Best for: Seeing therapy from both chairs
Where: Memoir for general readers
Gottlieb is a therapist. Her book follows her own time as a patient, after a personal crisis sends her to a therapist she calls Wendell, alongside the stories of four of her own patients. It is not a book about psychodynamic technique. What it does well is show what the relationship in the room can feel like, and how talking about the past and about the therapist can lead to change. Many people find it a gentle first read.
Visit Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb (2019)
2. The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves, by Stephen Grosz (2013)
Best for: Psychoanalytic insight without jargon
Where: Short essays for general readers
Grosz is a practicing psychoanalyst. His publisher, W. W. Norton, describes the book as a collection of short, personal encounters between an analyst and his patients, drawn from more than 50,000 hours of conversation. The chapters are short and can be read one at a time, and each shows how an analyst tries to understand the hidden feelings behind everyday behavior.
Visit The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves, by Stephen Grosz (2013)
3. Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process, by Nancy McWilliams (2011)
Best for: Understanding personality and character
Where: Clinical text (Guilford Press)
Guilford published the second edition in hardcover in 2011 and in paperback in 2020. The book explains the major personality styles and how a therapist's understanding of someone's personality can shape treatment. Guilford notes that this edition adds attachment theory, neuroscience, the study of trauma and the contemporary relational movement. It was written for clinicians, but many curious readers find McWilliams's plain, warm style easy to follow.
Visit Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process, by Nancy McWilliams (2011)
4. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide, by Nancy McWilliams (2004)
Best for: How the therapy actually works, session to session
Where: Clinical text (Guilford Press)
Where Psychoanalytic Diagnosis is about people, this book is about the work itself. Guilford lists its topics as listening and talking, transference and countertransference, emotional safety, and an empathic, attuned attitude toward the patient, along with boundaries and clinician self-care. It is a good choice if you want to know why a psychodynamic therapist responds the way they do.
Visit Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide, by Nancy McWilliams (2004)
5. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Clinical Manual, Second Edition, by Deborah L. Cabaniss, Sabrina Cherry, Carolyn J. Douglas and Anna R. Schwartz (2016)
Best for: A step-by-step structure
Where: Training manual (Wiley)
Wiley published the second edition in 2016. On her website, Dr. Cabaniss says the book is used widely in training programs across the mental health fields. It teaches the therapy through three steps, listening, reflecting and intervening, and applies them to topics such as evaluation, empathic listening and setting the frame. It is the most structured book on this list and is written mainly for trainees.
Visit Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Clinical Manual, Second Edition, by Deborah L. Cabaniss, Sabrina Cherry, Carolyn J. Douglas and Anna R. Schwartz (2016)
6. Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, Third Edition (PDM-3), edited by Vittorio Lingiardi and Nancy McWilliams (2026)
Best for: A deep reference on psychodynamic diagnosis
Where: Professional reference (Guilford Press)
Guilford published the third edition in January 2026. It is a reference manual for psychodynamic diagnosis. Jonathan Shedler's website lists him as a co-author of the PDM-3. It is a large reference work for clinicians, so most general readers will only want to browse it.
Visit Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, Third Edition (PDM-3), edited by Vittorio Lingiardi and Nancy McWilliams (2026)
Free reading from Jonathan Shedler
Shedler's best-known writing is in articles and essays, and many are free through his website, jonathanshedler.com. Two are good places to start.
His 2010 American Psychologist article, "The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy," is the paper he is best known for. His site describes it as the paper that established psychodynamic therapy as an evidence-based treatment, and it links to a free PDF. His essay "That Was Then, This Is Now," which he calls a jargon-free introduction to contemporary psychodynamic thought, is on his Substack. Nova Science Publishers published an earlier version.
- The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (2010): free PDF linked from jonathanshedler.com/writings
- That Was Then, This Is Now: free on Shedler's Substack, linked from the same page
- Shorter Substack essays, including How to Choose a Psychotherapist and Getting Started in Psychotherapy
How to use these books
Reading can help you understand your own patterns, but it works best alongside talking with someone. If a chapter stirs something up, bring it to a session. For a plain comparison of the two main approaches, see psychodynamic vs. CBT therapy. If you are looking for a clinician, Dr. Rabin's psychodynamic therapy page is a good place to start, and you can book a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Rabin through the contact page.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Related guides
Last reviewed September 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
