Lena Dunham’s New Book Takes You Inside Her Therapy Sessions

The New Yorker premiered the first excerpt from Lena Dunham’s upcoming memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, on Monday. Fans of the Girls creator and star knew before that she had struggled with mental health problems: her character’s O.C.D. on the show is based on her own personal experiences. But it looks like Dunham’s new book will give readers their first insight into the details of her therapy sessions.

“The germophobia morphs into hypochondria morphs into sexual anxiety morphs into the pain and angst that accompany entry into middle school,” Dunham writes. She unpacks her many problems in various therapist’ offices, at school, with her parents and even in hushed tones over the phone with a therapist when lying next to a boy in bed.

Dunham invites us, once again, to psychoanalyze her work. Whether it’s in print of on TV, she tempts audiences to judge her and moves defiantly forward when we do. I suppose she’s trying to teach us all a lesson.

[The New Yorker]