Living with 'The Gloria Films': A daughter's memory

Recently completed a counseling course which of course we watched these films, but my curiosity prompted me to inquire further "what happened afterwards?" - there was nothing... I highly recommend anyone in social services, psychoanalysis or the teaching profession who have viewed these films to read this book as well. There is more to the story and so important to know how therapy, experiments, studies, etc. can have after effects. This should go along with the use of the films.

Wonderfully written, answers myriad questions concerning Gloria and her family. I highly recommend that everyone who uses the Gloria tapes in counseling courses reads this book thoroughly for the additional insights into how the tapes were made, the interactions with the counselors, and most particularly Gloria's life after the "Gloria Films." Must read for all counselor educators, highly recommended to anyone who has viewed the tapes.

This was terrific account of the life which inspired me to become a psychology major. Moreover, The legacy of Gloria lives on through the rich, uncomplicated nature of her interviews with Carl Rogers and the others who inspired her to present herself in "purest" form. A must own for any true psychological enthusiast!

I always thought of "The Gloria Films" as an interesting study material, a glimpse to "gurus'" work. My opinion changed after reading Gloria's daughter Pamela's book "Living with The Gloria Films. A Daughter's Memory". Pamela tells a touching story of her mother's life, not necessarily centering it around the film, but using it as a framing. Gloria from a faceless character in a film turns into a very lively, likeable woman, who had a very difficult life. The film had been shown in theaters and TV all around USA withput her permission. Becoming a very popular study material, it causes a lot of pain and difficulty to Gloria's family. A big impact on me had Gloria's relationships with therapists from the film. Several times I had tears in my eyes, when reading warm letters from Rogers, whom Gloria called her "ghostly father" and with whom she carried a deep friendship till the end of her life. My opinion of Perls, who acted in a very mean way, also changed slightly. Although, I've always known, that he had been a rather difficult person. All in all, this book reminded me of how important ethics, empathy, acceptance and non-judgement are; how our work impacts people. And how short life is (Gloria died of cancer in her 40s).

I was very excited when I heard that Gloria's daughter had written this personal account. As a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling, my colleagues and I viewed the Gloria films, which have been used for decades as teaching tools in the techniques of Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, and Albert Ellis. It is an excellent account - written lovingly and intelligently - of Gloria's life and the impact that these individual therapy sessions and their public exposure had on Gloria and her daughter, Pamela Burry. This book is an important work for anyone interested in mental health therapy.

After recently seeing the Gloria Films again, I wanted to know how this experience impacted her life. Since the book was written by her daughter, it was her impression of how the experience impacted Gloria, but her personal expose of how the experience impacted her. I really enjoyed the insights and intimacies shared. And I certainly love Carl Rogers more today than I even did in the past!

Really more of a Gloria and Pammy bio, which I love, and less about the films. I was pleasantly surprised by Pammy's loyalty to her mother and no nonsense criticism of Fritz Perls- be ready if you are a Perls loyalist. If you are expecting to find a daughter who bashes her mother or victimizes her role in her mother's life, this is not that book. Pammy is a brilliant woman, very self actualized, with many gifts from Gloria to offer. She shares their mutual journeys and honors her mother's experiences as they relate to a critical time in the mental health community.

So happy that I found this book. A beautiful account of an amazing woman and her equally wonderful daughter. A book about resilience, self-actualisation and love.

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A great book if you have seen the three films of the counselling sessions conducted for Gloria, the author's mother.

Having watched the Gloria films many times for my own studies in psychotherapy and with the students I now teach, I had previously watched the films simply to understand the psychotherapeutic techniques utilised by the three therapists.This book provides a glimpse at the world of the brave woman who placed herself in the hands of the film maker, only to find her "story" was being shown on TV when she had been assured that the therapy sessions were only to be seen by students of psychotherapy.This would never be allowed to happen today - thank goodness for the ethical considerations of confidentiality imposed by professional bodies in the field at least in the UK.Those of us in the profession do, however owe Gloria a debt of gratitude, for without her, the works of Rogers, Perls and Ellis may just have remained theoretical constructs within the books they wrote.

Having watched the 'Three Approaches to Psychotherapy' film, I was immediately captivated by the spark and vivacity of Gloria, the central figure of a fascinating 1960's insight into the methods of three eminent therapists. Her openness, honesty and zest for life were qualities that seemed to transcend the screen and I was eager to discover what had happened to this young woman who had so courageously agreed to allow her private concerns to be aired through such a public medium.Gloria's own plans to publish an autobiography never came to fruition, but her daughter Pammy has brought out a book which is on one hand, the poignant memoirs of a young child about her mother... yet on the other, frustratingly sparse in detail about Gloria herself.The initial chapters are witty and bright, hooking us into Pammy's unorthodox but thrilling childhood which gives us tantalising glimpses into Gloria's character. However, as the pages progressed, I found myself tiring of the relentless witticisms, which highlighted the wonderful precociousness of Pammy as a child, but took the focus away from Gloria, who is my main interest as a counsellor. With attention-seeking titles such as 'Ritz Crackers and Legs', it almost feels at times that the author wants to show you how interesting and enigmatic SHE is, a theory further confirmed by a chapter which revolves around Pammy's childhood Ritz cracker constructions and very little else.Another frustrating aspect was the disjointed storytelling style, beginning a new chapter with short dramatic prose only to abruptly cut to a new story. Whilst I enjoy cliffhangers in fiction books, here it felt like a tiresome ploy to manipulate my attention, and I found myself skipping ahead to the central chapters so as to get to the 'meat' of the book. The latter chapters brought some life to Carl Rogers and the relationship he had with Gloria, which sustained my interest as a counsellor."Living with 'The Gloria Films'" is subtitled "A Daughter's Memory", which is exactly what it is. If you come to this book as a casual reader, you will enjoy the witty prose of Pammy Burry's recollections. However, if you are looking for a rich insight into the memories and experiences of Gloria herself, you may come away feeling a little short-changed.

What a goldmine this book is. Its raw, honest, insightful and extremely interesting.As a therapist having been exposed to the Gloria films many times, I was was also in awe of her openness but allways felt uncomfortable not knowing what had happened to her.As a daughter's memoir this book is generous and contains depths and insights that quite frankly most psychotherapy books simply lack.Thank you for sharing this magical story.