ROME — At 42, Pope Francis had weekly sessions with a psychoanalyst for about six months “to clarify some things,” according to excerpts from a new book by a French sociologist scheduled to be published next week.

The revelation came in one of a series of 12 interviews the sociologist, Dominique Wolton, conducted with the pope at the Vatican for the book.

Excerpts from the book, “Pope Francis: Politics and Society. Conversations with Dominique Wolton,” were published in Le Figaro Magazine in France on Thursday.

Francis did not explain in detail why he had decided to pursue therapy, but he said he felt that he needed it and that it had helped him a lot, according to the book.