Psychoanalysts must be patients for years before they can practice. The “talking cure”—the basis of all psychotherapy—is best explained from two perspectives: one patient lying on the couch and the other seated behind it. The author of this memoir was both. He candidly discusses his own analysis, describing his emotional misfires and their causes. He then uses case studies from his practice to elucidate the meaning of dreams, the causes of neuroses, depression, relationship problems and other issues that affect the lives of many. Table of Contents: Preface 1 1. Colorado: Splitting to the Rockies 5 2. Why I Became a Psychoanalyst: It Made Sense 12 3. Can a Catholic Do It? Yes 19 4. My First Patient: She Was Perfect 27 5. It’s Not Academic: It’s Empathetic 33 6. What It’s Like to Be a Shrink: A God-Like Business 39 7. Making a Diagnosis: It’s All About Age 48 8. Sex and Sexuality: A Big Deal 55 9. The History of You: HX 62 10. Transference: Don’t I Know You from Someplace? 69 11. Oh, No, Not Again! Bad Broken Records 78 12. Gotcha: The Pain in the Ass People 85 13. Dreams: The Royal Roads 92 14. Herr Professor Doktor Sigmund Freud: Giant 106 15. Use Eagles, If Necessary: Breaking Protocol 116 16. Sometimes We Make Mistakes: Of Course 122 17. Big Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do 129 18. The Safe Haven: INT 135 19. Pissed Off: And Then Some 148 20. Who Saved Your Butt? Find Out 157 21. Ways to Screw Up Kids: Oh So Many 163 22. They’re Just Babies, Too, You Know: Fragility Is Ours 173 23. Should I See a Shrink? Why Do You Ask? 179 24. A Shrink’s Eye View: Why People Think We’re Nutty 188 25. The Final Session: RES 196 Bibliography 201 Index 203 About the Author: James Joyce is the author of Pucker Factor 10: Memoir of a U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and has written numerous articles for newspapers such as the Durango Herald and the Chicago Tribune. He is CEO of Green Mountain International, a global purveyor of polyurethane construction products, and lives in Waynesville, North Carolina.
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