Elaine Aron's newest book, Psychotherapy and the Highly Sensitive Person, redefines the term "highly sensitive" for the professional researcher and practitioner. She dispels common misconceptions about the relationship between sensitivity and other personality traits, such as introversion and shyness, and further defines the trait for the benefit of both the clinician and patient. Readers will learn to assess for the trait, distinguish it from clinical diagnoses such as panic disorder or avoidant personality disorder, understand how sensitivity may change the presentation of a problem such as depression or shyness, and generally inform, validate, and improve the quality of life for these clients. She pays particular attention to self-esteem issues and helping patients separate effects of their innate temperament from problems due to their personal learning histories. Dr. Aron keeps both patient and practitioner in mind as she suggests ways to adapt treatment for highly sensitive persons and how to deal with the typical issues that arise. Three appendices provide the HSP Scale, a summary of the extensive research on this innate trait, and its relation to DSM diagnoses. Through this helpful guide, therapists will see a marked improvement in their ability to assist highly sensitive clients.

    The book includes inductions for sleep, anxiety and panic, weight loss, nonsmoking, recovering from illness, self-esteem, motivation, enhancing creativity, improving learning, healing the adult survivor of child abuse, natural childbirth, and loss and separation.

    Following the major developmental phases from infancy to old age, the author lucidly explores the vital aspects of experience which promote mental and emotional growth and those which impede it. In bringing together a wide range of clinical, non-clinical and literary examples, it offers a detailed and accessible introduction to contemporary psychoanalytic thought and provides a personal and vivid approach to the elusive question of how the personality develops.

    Providing an insider perspective, they share their personal experiences of mental illness and unpack the current knowledge about conditions and treatments. What do we know? What don’t we know? How do we get help? What actually works?Punctuated with anecdotes, real-life stories and reflections on the cultural and historical context, Mental is an irreverent and entertaining guide to the full spectrum of mental health issues – from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, personality disorders and substance abuse.Set to become a go-to guide for anyone with a mental illness or supporting someone who has one, Mental breaks the taboos around mental health and offers clear practical advice on how to live successfully.

    If you're interested in how a writer works, or new information about Harper Lee, or a personal struggle with mental illness, you might enjoy my book. I had a life-long fascination with Harper Lee and Mockingbird because I grew up 40 miles from her hometown of Monroeville in south Alabama. She knew my parents. Her fame convinced me to become a writer and I joyously reported for 10 years at The Birmingham News. I began on the copy desk, going to work at 4 a.m. Later, as education reporter I delved into stories with a passion that veered toward the edge of sanity. After I left The News to become a stay-at-home mom, my interest in Ms. Lee became an obsession with tracing her path to fame. I take readers on a (literally) manic romp to New York where, in the archives of the public library, I read notes she had written, and to Monroeville, where I got locked in the famed courthouse. I spent weeks of frantic calls and faxes to set up a phone call with Gregory Peck, who rarely granted interviews, about his most-loved part. When this project had brought me to a point of near exhaustion, my schizophrenic brother, in a mental institution’s halfway house, was diagnosed with lung cancer at 48. I desperately tried to find a place for him to die in peace. I succeeded, but at a terrible price. As he gasped his last breath it was as though he had put his hand on my arm and said, “It’s your turn to be crazy now.” Madness quietly took me into his world of delusions and paranoia. I plunged into depression then soared into mania. I landed on a locked ward, facing my own commitment hearing. Antipsychotic drugs pulled me back to reality – twice. And what if side effects of high cholesterol and diabetes develop? My psychiatrist said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

    Topics include: the abuse of and addiction to alcohol; how the active agent in marijuana, THC, affects neural growth and development; the emerging body of evidence suggesting a relationship between marijuana abuse and psychotic disorders; the emerging body of evidence suggesting that marijuana is not as benign as it was thought to be even a few years ago; and updated information on the abuse of cough syrups, a trend that has evolved in adolescent substance abusers in the past decade. Adding to the book's usefulness and relevance, Doweiko also covers topics not usually discussed in other substance abuse texts, including: abuse of anabolic steroids; inhalants; many of the forms of infectious disease associated with substance abuse; how the "war on drugs" has actually contributed to the problem of substance abuse/addiction in this country; the relationship between substance abuse and many infectious diseases; and the latest information on the "medical marijuana" debate. Providing a comprehensive overview of the problems of substance abuse and addiction, students report that they appreciate the author's balanced approach in contrast to a tendency to "preach" to the reader that "drugs are bad for you." Student feedback indicates that they value the clear and detailed information provided, allowing the student to form their own opinion about the compound(s) being discussed in each chapter.

    This theory was further developed in Steiner’s book Games Alcoholics Play. Dr. Berne, in What Do You Say After You Say Hello?, acknowledged Steiner’s important role in the analysis of “life scripts” which we choose at an early age and which rule every detail of our lives until our death.In Scripts People Live, Steiner expands upon this belief to show that people are innately healthy but develop a pattern early in life based upon negative or positive influences of those around them. Thus children decide, however unconsciously, whether they will be happy or depressed, winners or failures, strong or dependent, and having decided, they spend the rest of their lives making the decision come true. For those who choose a negative script, the consequences can be disastrous unless they make a conscious decision to change.Steiner’s classic in psychological theory, with a new foreword by the author, offers a hopeful and practical analysis so that we all may rewrite our life scripts and lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

    Art As Medicine demonstrates how the imagination heals and renews itself through this natural process. The author describes his pioneering methods of art therapy—including interpretation through performance and storytelling, creative collaboration, and dialoguing with images—and the ways in which they can revitalize both psychotherapy and art itself.

    

    This third edition includes the most current information and expands the understanding of pervasive developmental disorders, bipolar disorder, disorders of childhood, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and eating disorders. In addition, the book expands on the sections that deal with the treatment of depression, borderline personality disorder, and more. This important resource also includes new information on assessment, the treatment of dual diagnosis, the spectrum concept of mental disorders, suicide risk factors, and new approaches to treatment.

    Among them: a successful, first generation Chinese immigrant musician suffering sexual dysfunction; a young woman whose father abandoned her at age nine with her younger siblings in an isolated cottage in the depth of winter; and a glamorous workaholic whose narcissistic, negligent mother greeted her each morning of her childhood with Good morning, Monster.Each patient presents a mystery, one that will only be unpacked over years. They seek Gildiner's help to overcome an immediate challenge in their lives, but discover that the source of their suffering has been long buried.As in such recent classics as The Glass Castle and Educated, each patient embodies self-reflection, stoicism, perseverance, and forgiveness as they work unflinchingly to face the truth. Gildiner's account of her journeys with them is moving, insightful, and sometimes very funny. Good Morning Monster offers an almost novelistic, behind-the-scenes look into the therapist's office, illustrating how the process can heal even the most unimaginable wounds.

    Art therapy activities like drawing, painting, and sculpting will help you better understand your state of mind in order to gain control over your emotions and improve your self-esteem.From drawing a representation of your favorite song, to writing affirmations and taking photos to match, these therapeutic exercises will help you overcome the mindsets that are holding you back and lead you toward inner peace. Some take only five minutes, others up to an hour, but all of them explore a range of artistic mediums, so you can choose exactly what works for you.Essential Art Therapy Exercises offers: The art of getting better—These sophisticated exercises are a springboard for insight, self-expression, mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion. Insights and questions—Every activity describes its benefits and offers thoughtful prompts to help you get the most out of each experience. No experience required—You don’t need to be an artist to use art therapy. It’s about the experience of creating—without worry or judgement. Let art therapy help you paint, draw, and write your way to a happier frame of mind.

    . . .a woman whose dead aunt was made into a mummy so the family could better grieve her passing and on occasion dine with her at family gatherings . . . a man wants his nose cut off to escape an annoying smell that haunts him . . . a teenage boy would only come to therapy if he could bring his pet snake."These and other fascinating and revealing stories are told by some of the most famous therapists in the world. Collected in this extraordinary book, well known practitioners recount the most memorable case histories of their illustrious careers. Engaging and surprising stories of human behavior are dramatically and often humorously portrayed. Each chapter gives a behind-the-scenes look at how therapists work with clients whose problems and behaviors aren't found in standard psychology textbooks. The book also shows how these eminent therapists often cure these apparently intractable problems and learn something about themselves in the process.1 The Man Who Wanted His Nose Cut Off / Jeffrey A. Kottler 7 --2 The Mummy at the Dining Room Table / Jon Carlson 21 --3 Buzzy Bee's Oral Fixation / Frank Pittman 32 --4 An Oedipal Dilemma / Arnold Lazarus 45 --5 The Urge to Eat from Garbage Cans / William Glasser 55 --6 The Penis That Needed Permission from the Church / Domeena Renshaw 66 --7 Therapy with a Gopher Snake and a Horned Lizard / Violet Oaklander 74 --8 Getting Rid of Old Junk / Harville Hendrix 84 --9 The Terminator Finds Himself on a Mental Ward / Scott Miller 95 --10 They Learned to Live with Ghosts / Insoo Kim Berg 105 --11 The Woman Who Should Have Been Depressed / Michael Yapko 115 --12 The Woman Who Hated Everyone and Everything / Albert Ellis 126 --13 The Medicine Man Who Never Had a Vision / Bradford Keeney 136 --14 The Woman Who Hanged Herself to Check Her Husband's Response Time / Susan Johnson 147 --15 The Hip-Nose Doctor Finds the Michael Jackson Tickets / Ernest Rossi 157 --16 The Lawyer from Hell / Arthur Freeman 166 --17 Reconstructing the Jigsaw Puzzle of a Meter Man's Memory / Robert A. Neimeyer 178 --18 An Emergency Hypnosis to Solve the Crime at the Burger Joint / Pat Love 191 --19 Beauty and the Beast / Samuel Gladding 199 --20 The Lie That Hid in His Back / Gay Hendricks 208 --21 The Client Who Wanted His Therapist to Be Someone Else / Howard Kirschenbaum 217 --22 The Bride Wore a Tuxedo, the Groom Wore a Gown / Joel Bergman 228 --23 Recovering from Recovered Memories / David Scharff 238 --24 Panic Disorder from Sewer Grates, Amusement Parks, and Sex with Ministers / Howard Rosenthal 249 --25 The Eighty-Two-Year-Old Prostitute / Jay Haley 257 --26 Saved by a Ghost / Stephen Lankton 264 --27 He'll Always Be Black / James F.T. Bugental 275 --28 "I Wouldn't Mind Being That Guy in the Mirror" / Michael Mahoney 279 --29 The Three-Year-Old Who Was an Alcoholic / Laura S. Brown 291 --30 Every Parent's Worst Nightmare / Donald Meichenbaum 299 --31 The Third Sexual Identity / Peggy Papp 305 --32 The Bird Colonel Who Turned into an Elephant / Len Sperry 316

    A varied mix of essays, book chapters, case histories, and compelling fiction written by veterans of both sides of "the couch" and representing many schools of thought, Inside Therapy includes: Janet Malcolm's The Impossible Profession * Mark Epstein's Thoughts Without a Thinker * Eric Fromm's The Art of Listening * A. M. Homes's In a Country of Mothers * Theodore Reik's The Third Ear * and others. The foreword by Irvin D. Yalom, author of Love's Executioner, offers additional wisdom, humor, and perspective.At a time when managed care threatens the psychoanalytic tradition, this dramatic, inspiring collection reminds us of the healing power of insight and the unique gifts of the patient-therapist relationship.

    Written by a celebrated professor of psychiatry, this reader-friendly book uses evidence-based critiques and new research to point out where DSM-5 is right, where it is wrong, and where the jury's still out. Along the way, The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5(R) sifts through the many public controversies and clinical debates surrounding the drafting of the manual and shows how they inform a modern understanding of psychiatric illness, diagnosis and treatment. This book is necessary reading for all mental health professionals as they grapple with the first major revision of the DSM to appear in over 30 years.