Words That Heal

"Words That Heal" (1975) is one of the most famous books by Marie Cardinal, written based on her own experience in psychoanalysis. It depicts the period and circumstances that led the author to mental instability and then to gradual recovery. The plot revolves around a woman undergoing an emotional breakdown caused by her relationship with her mother. The protagonist undergoes a long course of psychoanalysis. Gradually, she realizes that she was unable to cope with the rigid boundaries of the behavioral code of the patriarchal system that has regulated her life since childhood. With the help of therapy and by expressing all her emotions and experiences in writing, the narrator begins to untangle the chaos of her past and gains the opportunity to "rewrite" her life.