Happier with Gretchen Rubin Ep. 560: Very Special Episode: What Secrets Does Your Therapist Wish They Could Tell You?
6 snips
Nov 12, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Lori Gottlieb, a psychotherapist and bestselling author, shares insights on therapy and relationships. She reveals why patients might lie to their therapists and highlights common mistakes in therapy, like expecting others to change without self-reflection. Lori addresses red flags in relationships and offers clever ways to navigate tricky family dynamics during the holidays. She even advises on recognizing if you might be the toxic friend and introduces a unique 'rumination appointment' to help manage obsessive thoughts.
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Share Hard Things After Trust Is Built
- Build trust before revealing shameful or complex details in therapy by letting the relationship feel safe first.
- When ready, disclose the harder material to gain deeper, more helpful progress in sessions.
Therapist-Googling Turned Into A Deeper Talk
- Lori Gottlieb admits she secretly Googled her therapist and found an interview about his family history.
- Revealing that discovery later enriched conversations about her own fears of losing her father.
Insight Without Action Is Useless
- Insight alone rarely changes behavior; action is required to alter recurring relationship patterns.
- Therapy must translate understanding into specific different responses that influence others' behavior.
