Untangling

A Memoir of Psychoanalysis

By: Joan K. Peters, Kristi Walsh

Narrated by: Barbara Barnes

With the drama of a novel, Untangling: A Memoir of Psychoanalysis tells the story of a turbulent and transformative psychoanalysis in this first ever in-depth patient's account. Joan K. Peters’s story lays bare the inner workings of this complex treatment, which takes place behind closed doors, is rarely spoken about, and is largely unknown outside of professional circles. A polished, poetic, and often funny writer, Peters's willingness to expose her own demons brings psychoanalysis to life, from the intense strife to the fierce love that can develop between patient and analyst. Joan’s first analyst, Lane, helped Joan alleviate tormenting and recurring nightmares and to find herself by discovering her family’s secret past. Her second analyst, Kristi, guided her through the frightening depths of that past to a yearned-for freedom. In another first, Kristi writes an afterword about the challenge of analyzing Peters. Unique in its reach, Untangling reveals the mysteries that lurk beneath the surface of our psyches.©2025 Joan K. Peters (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

A compelling memoir as well as an unusually in-depth therapeutic narrative that promises the possibility of redemption from early trauma at any age ... A stirring book that will be of interest to readers of memoirs about mental health or Jewish life, but also relevant to clinicians seeking a patient’s perspective.

An intriguing look at the experience of psychoanalysis and a thoroughly examined life.

This is absolutely a book about transformation, but it’s anything but precious. It’s also an incredibly rare look at the process of psychoanalysis from the point of view of the patient (or the analysand), and not the doctor… Untangling offers a great modern self-portrait of a woman finding her footing after decades of private turmoil.

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. (Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind)

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. (Galit Atlas, author of Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, and the Legacy of Trauma; faculty, New York University Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis)

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. (Ilene Philipson, PhD, psychoanalyst and sociologist, author of On the Shoulders of Women: The Feminization of Psychotherapy)

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. (Judith Thurman, author of Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette)