slow slide into the truth: a therapist’s tale

Psychotherapist Beth Linn is trying to stay focused on her work in the town where she grew up. But she’s becoming increasingly triangulated between clients in a situation she senses could become deadly and the discovery of long-held secrets about her own past.

Kim St. Clair’s thrilling debut novel takes us deep into the experiences of being both therapist and client. We enter the uncomfortable spaces of the profession-the isolation of confidentiality and the weight of possessing information that cannot be shared. We witness the vulnerability of being a client and how difficult it can be to trust a therapist. Ultimately, this gifted author allows us to see how beautiful-and terrifying-it is to expose our pain to a professional we hope possesses the skills and compassion to realize what we need. Once drawn into this skillfully interwoven story, we can’t help but emerge ready to listen to the tiny voices inside our heads that lead us out of fear and into freedom.

From: Slow Slide into the Truth-

＂Beth’s hand shook as she gripped the vial and watched the foam from her saliva bubble precariously close to the rim like champagne in a flute. She wondered if she would regret this moment forever as she lifted it up to the light to ensure that the liquid had reached the full line. Her innocence would soon end when the sample was mailed and there was no longer an escape from the truth it would reveal.You have no choice, she told herself, as she closed the lid and watched the liquid in the cap mix with her DNA. She shook it gently, exactly as instructed, and placed it in the bag marked SAMPLE, careful to firmly adhere the seal and confirm that the ID number matched what she had just entered online. The blank space designated for username remained empty as she wrestled with how to proceed. The truth was not an option.＂

* * * * *

＂Beth felt a chill go down her spine. Something about this client’s energy felt off. Her stories, if seen on the written page, were dark, yet her body language did not match the narrative. Week after week Beth listened to her report the details of her husband’s outbursts, each account worse than the last, but Beth was distracted by the qualities of her speech. It was lyrical with a resonance you would use to describe puppies or a gorgeous sunset, not abuse, and it triggered a familiar fear in Beth. Her jaw tensed and her heart rate increased with each word that flowed silkily from her client’s mouth like a siren’s song.＂

Kim St. Clair is a trauma-informed psychotherapist certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) working in private practice. She was born in Northeast Ohio and spent most of her life there but has enjoyed moving around the country for the last 13 years and currently lives near Austin, Texas. When not seeing clients or writing, she is happiest outside practicing yoga, biking, or sitting beside water enjoying the view.