Wounded Healers: Tribulations and Triumphs of Pioneering Psychotherapists

Description

Freud was addicted to cocaine and nicotine, Jung was psychotic for several years, and Margaret Mead remained closeted throughout her lifetime. Yet, adversities notwithstanding, they all made monumental contributions that still shape our view on ourselves and the world. This book includes biographies of fifteen modern explorers of the mind who altered the course of history. All of them were wounded healers who made great discoveries while struggling with traumatic life crises and emotional problems in their personal lives. Full of unexpected twists and turns, their life stories alone are worthy of our attention. In linking their maladies with their creativity, showing the vulnerable and human side of these giants, this book makes the greats approachable and illuminates their scientific findings through narrating their life stories.

Keh-Ming Lin is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has published 250 papers and eleven books, including translations of books by Sigmund Freud, and is co-editor of Ethno-psychopharmacology (with Chee H. Ng, Bruce S. Singh, Edmond Y. K. Chiu, Cambridge, 2008).

'This book is a tour de force. With the skills of an esteemed neuroscientist and clinician, Keh-Ming Lin presents a scholarly examination of fifteen extraordinary, but wounded, psychotherapists. He suggests that a wounded healer exists within all of us and, if properly contained, might contain the seeds for a talented psychotherapist.' Warren R. Procci, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine, USA, and the 64th President of the American Psychoanalytic Association 'This volume integrates and balances the important areas of relational and mediated communication. It reflects a growing aspect of communication scholarship and the way many relational partners interact today. The writing style is informative for scholars and approachable for those new to the topic, which is no small feat.' Jennifer L. Bevan, Professor of Communication, Chapman University, USA 'This is a wonderfully readable testimony to some of the most important pioneers in psychotherapy. Keh-Ming Lin makes each of these individuals come alive as vivid and complex human beings, while making their ideas accessible and linking them to the far older tradition of the wounded healer.' John Launer, Honorary Lifetime Consultant, Tavistock Clinic, UK 'After reading Keh-Ming Lin's excellent book, I am happy to report that I enjoyed and appreciated this important work very much. It presents a scholarly study and thoughtful meditation on the personal coping methods and seminal theory of giants in psychology. It is both inspiring and compassionate - perfect for clinicians and patients alike.' Mitchell Weiss, Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Switzerland 'Weaving together Eastern and Western culture within a study of famous psychotherapists, this book has it all. For therapists, aspiring therapists, and healers in general, Keh-Ming Lin reinforces the idea that greatness can spring from adversity and may even be a prerequisite for such innovation.' Ira Lesser, Vice Chair and Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, USA 'Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, 'No mud, no lotus'. Suffering is fuel for enlightenment. Without the wound, there is no need for the journey. Keh-Ming Lin shows us how the greats looked inwards and developed understanding, empathy, and medicine. May we do so as well!' Ravi Chandra, psychiatrist and author of Facebuddha: Transcendence in the Age of Social Networks 'In this beautiful book, an esteemed professor of psychiatry describes how fifteen mental health luminaries wrestled with their own inner adversities to open new therapeutic pathways. As all 'healers' have mental obstacles to overcome, these stories will inform and inspire a wide range of mental health devotees.' Joel Yager, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA 'Wounded Healers is an account of how emotional experiences and interpersonal difficulties influenced leaders in the mental health field and suggests possible origins for the creative genius of those leaders. It is powerful, touching, engaging, and insightful - a major contribution to the mental health field.' Stanley Sue, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Palo Alto University and University of California, Davis, USA 'Originally appearing as essays in Chinese, published in Taiwan, this book illustrates how a Chinese-American psychiatrist came to understand ideas about mental illness and psychiatric treatment that are European and American in origin, but have now been globalized.' Arthur Kleinman, Professor of Anthropology and Psychiatry, Harvard University, USA 'Keh-Ming Lin breaks down the stigma of emotional and mental suffering as the plight of 'others' who are cared for by 'the healthy'. This absorbing work shows how emotional health is a process, earned by sustained effort, rather than the passive state it appears to be from the outside.' Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA, and President of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry 'Fascinating and perceptive ... Keh-Ming Lin brings to life the early suffering and struggles that shaped the theories and teachings of fifteen founders of contemporary psychology. Practitioners of mental health must read this as well as anyone interested in the triumph of the human spirit.' Albert C. Gaw, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, USA 'An eloquent testimony of resiliency and personal struggles, Wounded Healers offers an original historical analysis of the lives of fifteen psychiatry and psychotherapy heroes. The reader will share their frailties, triumphs, doubts, and challenges, as the book puts forward a vibrant message of courage and hope.' Renato D. Alarcon, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, USA