Sex addiction, psychedelics, group therapy, you name it; Benoit Denizet-Lewis has done it all in the quest for self-transformation and inner peace. Denizet-Lewis is a longtime contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine, the author of the New York Times and bestseller Travels With Casey.
There is something captivating in how Denizet-Lewis tells stories in You’ve Changed; conversational and convivial in tone, with humility, humour and curiosity. It is this combination that carries the reader through this dense exploration of the current iteration of what we humans do in the quest for self-transformation and inner peace.
Denizet-Lewis draws insight from psychologists, spiritual teachers, neuroscientists, a bully turned Buddhist, psychedelic reality benders, and a murderer turned nice guy, all in an attempt to present the ever-expanding patchwork of the self-improvement industry and its promise of the elusive state of inner peace.
Denizet-Lewis interrogates such offerings with a precision and a very welcome helping of scepticism. He reveals a self-improvement industry that is alive and well, its current manifestation being the pursuit of “wellness”. Inherent in this pursuit is the assumption that “wellness” is a human right and it is something that the individual alone is responsible for. “Wellness” in this sense is an expression of rampant individualism where we are all on a highly personal “journey”; a fitness journey, a kitchen renovation journey, a cancer journey.
READ MORE
This may reflect the fact that You’ve Changed is largely US-centric; a culture, similar to other western cultures, that emphasises the wellbeing of the individual over collective societal wellbeing. The centuries-old pursuit of wisdom, peace of mind and transformation in other parts of the world goes largely untouched. Those seeking a more rounded view of the promise and price of personal transformation will likely be disappointed.
There is, however, a refreshing absence of anything sanctimonious about his endeavour in a genre that has a tendency to teeter towards smugness. Denizet-Lewis’s humility, his lack of certainty and his vulnerability are refreshing and novel in the world of self-transformation and the pursuit of inner peace. For that reason alone, this is recommended reading.
- Dr Paul D’Alton is a clinical psychologist and associate professor at UCD
