Thank you Tomasz Witkowski for doing a guest blog for Yankeeskeptic about his new book.  Should we be more skeptical of psychiatry?  A must read for skeptics that often forget to should be skeptical about all medicine, not just what we consider alternative medicine.  – KM

Psychology Gone Wrong: The Dark Sides of Science and Therapy

This book is a story about my journey across the field of psychology. It is a summary of my fascination with psychology and disbelief in how psychology and science can be abused. I am a psychologist. I always wanted to help people and I still want to do it. This book was originally intended as a guide into the fascinating world of psychology. I wanted it to be based on best available evidence to make sure that it could benefit as many people as possible.

When exploring the unknown, the science behind psychological claims, the evidence behind therapy, I was becoming increasingly more confused. I have studied history of psychology. I have looked into furthest reaches of academic discovery and I have searched for facts and for evidence…but I have found very little. I was shocked and surprised to learn that the majority of what I know is nothing but a castle builld on sand: fraudulent research, lies of leading authorities, criminal accusations of top psychologists on world’s best universities…

It was hard to believe, so I have searched further. I have looked at victims of traumatic events – both currently and historically. I have reached to people who used psychological help. I have heard stories that rarely make it to the media: abuse, therapy addiction, destroyed careers and families – the “side effects” of what I call a psychobusiness.

 “Psychology Gone Wrong” is a look into the world of psychology from a different point of view. Instead of focusing on catchy, media-friendly psychological revelations, I analyzed it from the perspective of evidence: Where does it come from? How it works? Why it does not work? What are the real life effects and implications? And are there any in the first place? I genuinely believe that this book is a must read for consumers of psychological services or psychology students. Everyone who is a potential client of psychotherapists should read it too.

This book does not tell you what to think. This book will tell you how to look at psychology, psychotherapy and academic psychology – so you can make your own mind before you step into the office of a psychotherapist.

The last part of this book is entitled To be continued… Why? Because this journey is not finished yet (and it will probably never be). I invite you to my blog (www.forbiddenpsychology.wordpress.com), where you can find my present “discoveries” together with a portion of criticism of psychological pseudoscience.

Please, visit my blog, send your comment or give me feedback if you wish. I would bealso grateful if you will encourage other people to read it as well. There is also a Fan Page of Psychology Gone Wrong (https://www.facebook.com/PsychologyGoneWrong) with over one thousand likes (in less than a month from release). You will find there many articles about pseudoscientific practices in psychology and psychotherapy. Please visit it, enjoy it, like it and share it. If only possible, we would try to answer all your questions and comments.