Come Closer

This is a very remarkable piece of writing, riveting and disquieting in equal measure.

Adam Phillips, psychoanalyst and author of On Giving Up

With a rare combination of intellectual rigor and a powerful sense of intimacy, Galit Atlas beckons us into the inner worlds of her patients, as well as into her own world as a psychoanalyst, and illuminates the ways in which our childhood wounds shape our relationships. I dare anyone not to find herself within the pages of this beautiful book. Come Closer is a masterwork by one of the great thinkers of our time.

Dani Shapiro, Bestselling author of Inheritance

A revelatory work of psychoanalysis from one of the most original thinkers in the field. Galit Atlas gives us new ways of understanding why, despite our greatest efforts, we often fail to connect with the people we love, and shows how we can get closer as well. This book is a gift.

Eric Klinenberg, Helen Gould Shepard Professor in the Social Sciences, New York University

Come Closer is a transformative work of storytelling and hope. Galit Atlas invites us to understand and heal our own inner children by drawing us close to her beloved patients, her personal experiences, and her astute perspectives on our relational encounters. I found profound inspiration and insights on every single page of this book.

Eli Harwood, Therapist, Creator of Attachment Nerd and author of "How to Deal with Your _ So Your Kids Don't Have to: An Encyclopedia For Ditching Your Emotional Baggage"

A deliriously smart and empathetic book that makes a match between the way you love and the way you were loved: sparks ensue.

Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus

Come Closer is a profound examination of how the children we once were shape the lovers we become. With uncommon clarity and compassion, Galit Atlas traces the unseen forces - early wounds, buried longings, inherited ghosts - that govern our adult relationships. Drawing on vivid clinical stories, she reveals how intimacy is always a dialogue between past and present, between the selves we know and the ones we’ve learned to hide. This is a wise, lucid and deeply humane book, offering readers genuine hope for how love can be repaired and transformed.

Meghan O'Rourke, Bestselling author of The Invisible Kingdom

Come Closer is an intelligent, wise, deeply compassionate investigation of the ways we play out patterns of emotional injuries in our closest relationships. Dr. Galit Atlas writes beautifully about how the therapeutic process changes not only her patients, but her own ways of connecting and loving. This book is an invaluable traveling companion for anyone exploring the territory of love, intimacy and human interconnection.

Martha Beck, New York Times Bestselling author of Beyond Anxiety

Galit Atlas writes with extraordinary emotional immediacy. We feel drawn into the room with her and her patient. Her clinical stories are intimate and deeply moving. Galit Atlas helps us understand so much more about how our early experiences continue to echo in our adult relationships. Come Closer is an outstanding book.

Dr. Beatrice Beebe, Clinical Professor, Columbia Univ. Medical Center; NYS Psychiatric Institute

In Come Closer, Dr. Galit Atlas invites us into the tender, complicated terrain where childhood wounds meet adult love. Through personal vulnerability and storytelling that draws us into the secret emotional lives we all carry, her clinical mastery feels fresh and accessible on every page. This is not a book that preaches about intimacy; it embodies it, reminding us that coming closer to another always begins with coming closer to ourselves.

Dr. Ingrid Clayton, author of Fawning

Come Closer is a stunning read – Dr. Galit Atlas deftly threads the needle of self-compassion with therapeutic wisdom and vulnerability. She brings us into the intimate world of therapy, her own profound loss, and the richness of her client’s inner worlds. I loved this book and finished it feeling more hopeful for myself, my clients, and all of us that carry childhood wounds that continue to visit us with haunting regularity.

Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D. Psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of It’s Not You