Mending Your Broken Heart: A Survival Kit

Cynthia Whissell is a psychology professor at Laurentian University.

This book is “a self-directed recovery plan to help put the pieces
together again after your relationship has ended.” The authors are a
therapist with a private practice and an English instructor, and the
therapeutic advice in the book is sound by psychological standards. To
put it rather abruptly, if the reader has just been dumped (or done the
dumping), he or she is encouraged to eat a balanced, healthy diet;
exercise regularly; and pay attention to his or her psychological needs,
which may include coping with anxiety. In order to accomplish these
goals, the authors advise long-term planning, self-evaluation,
self-appreciation, and careful note-taking—all of which have been
known to work well for people in psychotherapeutic situations.

Although the book gives sound psychological advice, users should not
rely on it alone, but rather use it in combination with a standard
therapeutic interaction. Its brief explanatory paragraphs could serve to
reinforce issues discussed in therapy, and its journal and goal-setting
units could increase the efficiency of each session when these are at a
premium.