Not all comicbooks are about superheroes:

 

Or,
5 (More) Reasons Why Cognitive Behavior Therapy Doesn't Work

It was just about a year ago that I wrote a review of the amazing graphic novel, 5 Reasons Why Cognitive Behavior Therapy Doesn't Work, written by Dr. Alan Domian, Ph.D. However, as I wrote at the time, while “I’m not a psychologist myself…I don’t feel qualified to discuss the medical aspects of this particular tome, however, as a comicbook historian, with some 50 years in the field of comics (as a fan, journalist, and creator) I feel fully qualified to comment on the nature of the book itself.”

Having said all of that (and more) back then, Dr. Domian felt it necessary to update his book with some additional material and issue a revised second volume. That done he sent me a copy of the new volume so I could review the updates as well. To talk about the graphical (ne comicbook) portion of the book itself, it is wonderfully illustrated by Paola Amormino, colored by Francesca Ingrassia, lettered by Giuseppe Naselli, and edited by longtime comicbook writer and editor Paul Kupperberg, with production by Freelance Ink. For his part, Kupperberg has been writing comics for over 50 years with editorial stints for DC, Archie, and a number of other comic companies. Again, while not a psychologist myself, the story itself is well presented and plays out over 124 pages.

As for the updated material (15 additional pages), include an expanded introduction, a breakdown/explanation of the various chapters, an article on the flawed concept that feelings are an arbitrary choice by which Dr. Domian explains, in paragraph form, the basic problems of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Then, about a third of the way through the book, he again breaks into text to offer Dr. Bernard Apfelbaum’s Ph.D interpretative neutrality, reclaiming insight into psychotherapy. Apfelbaum (1926–2016), was an American clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, and sex therapist based in Berkeley, California. He is best known as the director of the Berkeley Sex Therapy Group and as a pioneer who coined the term “autosexual” in 1989.

Dr. Alan Domian, Ph.D.

This is followed by an essay where Domian discusses the various characters in his graphic novel their motivations, and what they are all about. Finally, he winds up with an endnote to talk about his purpose in writing the book. This is followed by a longer discussion of what happened to Amelia, the main character of the book who is being counseled by her new therapist, Dale. Dr. Domian winds up his new volume with an article on resolving psychotherapy effectiveness anxiety, a pair of examples of ego analytics, references, and a brief “about the author” bio of himself.

Finally, while I am unqualified to weigh in on the clinical aspects of the book, I will again state that the storytelling aspects of it are most excellent, and the fact that Dr. Domian took the time to realize that his first (noble) attempt to present this material was a tad wanting, so that he took the time to update, and enhance the original volume by adding the additional medical material. As a 25+ year practitioner in his field, he clearly knew what he was talking about, and then, after his first foray into publishing a graphic novel (a wholly unique experience) he took the time to update and refine his work, we feel it necessary to give him high marks in both his work, and its presentation.