Ever wondered what REALLY happens in the therapy room? For too long, therapy has been seen as taboo in our society and is shrouded in myth--it's only for the weak or 'crazies', it's just blaming your parents, a therapist 'only listens' and so on. In this book, Aruna Gopakumar and Yashodhara Lal bust those myths and show you how therapy actually works. With decades of combined experience in the field, these two therapists share fascinating stories based on their practice. You'll meet the woman who sends secret messages to her husband during arguments; the towering tattooed man who realizes he can't save his sister; the teenager whose life is revealed in the tale of a lonely bear; the divorced man angry with his ex-wife for starting to date again; the fiery gay young man impatient to change the world; the lady who won't relax until her daughter is perfect; and many more. Written with authenticity, warmth, simplicity, and lightness, And How Do You Feel About That brings you an understanding of the world of possibilities that opens up when we embark on an inner exploration - in dialogue with another.
Aruna Gopakumar is a psychotherapist of repute-a CTA (Certified Transactional Analyst) and an MCC
(Master Certified Coach-ICF). She is the current president of SAATA (South Asian Association of Transactional Analysts). As a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst, Aruna is passionately engaged in long-term training of aspiring Transactional Analysts, taking them through the rigorous journey of becoming competent, ethical professionals. She is an advocate of creative, experiential methods and integrates art, story and drama in her ways of working, with both individuals and groups. She has a Tedx Talk called 'Psychotherapy, the New Normal'.
She founded a leadership development organization, Navgati (www.navgati.in), in 1999 after working in IBM and then Sasken. Today, Navgati is a market leader in the design and delivery of creative, high-impact leadership-development interventions. With an engineering degree from Anna University and an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Aruna is on a lifelong quest to find innovative ways to help people realize their true potential.
Aruna lives in Bangalore with her husband, daughter, son, and two noisy black labradors.
Yashodhara Lal is a bestselling author of several books, and a coach and therapist in private practice.
A graduate of SRCC-Delhi and IIM-Bangalore (2000-2002), she has two decades of leadership experience in the corporate world. She is internationally certified in Erickson Solution-Focused Coaching and in Transactional Analysis (CTA & P-TSTA - Psychotherapy). As a couples therapist, she has been in Advanced Training and the Mentorship Program with the Couples Institute, San Francisco.
Yashodhara is also a TEDx speaker, fitness instructor and yoga practitioner. Her vast body of fiction and memoir work includes the bestsellers Just Married, Please Excuse (2012) and How I Became a Farmer’s Wife (2016). Her book And How Do You Feel About That (2022), co-authored with Aruna Gopakumar, demystifies therapy for the Indian audience.
What They Don’t Tell You About Marriage is Yashodhara’s tenth book.
