Official blurb:
“Veteran journalist Joe Nocera had a Hamptons neighbor: Ike, therapist to celebrities and Manhattan’s elite. He had star-studded parties at the vacation house. But one summer, Joe came back to discover that Ike was gone, and the summer house next door had never belonged to Ike in the first place. It was Marty’s, a therapy patient of Ike’s who had finally broken free from Ike’s psychological domination. THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR is the story of one therapist’s psychological manipulation as he crossed lines and defrauded his patients — and he’s still out there. In partnership with Bloomberg.” [from Wondery].
Do you like stories about … deception?
Those stories of people who fallen under someone else’s spell, until their lives are pulled inside out, they’ve lost most of their independence and power, their bonds to family and friends?
The type of podcast where you’re shouting: DON’T BE A FOOL, that person is going to fleece you! (Think Dirty John – another Wondery show – or the ABC’s Snowball, both of which I’ll cover another time).
You won’t believe what happens to the patients of one ‘shrink’ in the United States.
The Shrink Next Door is extraordinarily well-produced, narrated by New York columnist Joe Nocera and with interviews with multiple people involved. This docu-drama-journalism approach ensures that all sides have their say, while drawing us into this gripping tale.
There are seven episodes which you’ll whizz through in no time.
I do note, however, that the Wondery intro is glitzy! For this Aussie, it can be a bit much. Listen and see if you agree with me …
Michelle Prak Writer 