The Mummy at the Dining Room Table: Eminent Therapists Reveal Their Most Unusual Cases - Hardcover

Jeffrey A. Kottler; Jon Carlson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787965413 ISBN 13: 9780787965419

Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub, 2003

Synopsis

More than thirty therapists--including Albert Ellis, Linda Love, Kim Berg, Scott Miller, and others--share their most unusual and interesting cases to offer provocative insights into the human mind and the mysteries of human behavior.

About this title

About the Author

Jeffrey A. Kottler is the author of more than fifty books, including On Being a Therapist and The Last Victim: Inside the Minds of Serial Killer, a New York Times bestseller. He is Chair of the Counseling Department at California State University, Fullerton.

Jon Carlson is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University, Illinois, and the author of twenty-five books including Bad Therapy and Time for a Better Marriage and editor of The Family Journal. He has also developed over 150 professional and self-help commercial videotapes featuring today's leading experts in their fields.

From the Inside Flap

A wife pretends to hang herself in the basement so she can time how long it will be before her husband comes to rescue her...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.

Written with compassion and a healthy dose of wit, this book illustrates how these unusual clients have persevered and coped with their demons and clearly show how the relationship between therapist and client can be transformative for both parties. While The Mummy at the Dining Room Table reveals the enigmatic nature of the human condition, it ultimately celebrates the triumph of the spirit and demonstrates the power of understanding, insight, hope, and hard work from both sides of the therapeutic encounter.

Reviews

The editors of Bad Therapy: Master Therapists Share their Worst Failures return with thirty-two interview-based, doctor-and-patient case studies. This time out they do more framing of the cases in their shared voice, and lead off with two of their own cases, "The Man Who Wanted His Nose Cut Off" because he was having an affair with a cow and "The Mummy at the Dining Room Table" whose family wouldn't let her go. Some of the therapists they present are well known, such as Albert Ellis ("The Woman Who Hated Everyone and Everything") and William Glasser ("The Urge to Eat from Garbage Cans"). Hypnotherapist Pat Love performed "An Emergency Hypnosis to Solve the Crime at the Burger Joint." A gender therapist (not to be confused with a sex therapist) weighs in: a gay man and lesbian who were happily married to each other are here said to produce "The Third Sexual Identity." Some of the cases are grim, not all are equally informative, and terms by which they are discussed can sometimes feel as glib as the chapter titles. But the overall sense one gets is of human beings interacting, and learning from and about each other.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Like teachers and auto mechanics, therapists enjoy talking about their work. Indeed, Kottler and Carlson say therapists must share information to improve their skills. To the end of further sharing, the two seasoned counseling experts asked several top therapists to discuss their most unusual cases. To make disclosing private case-history details less off-putting, Kottler and Carlson took extra precautions to ensure patient anonymity and present information in the most instructive manner. The resulting stories concern people whose complaints range from the commonplace (marital infidelity) to the creepy (a family that kept the mother's mummified body propped up in her favorite easy chair for seven years after she died). What proved distinctive about the case histories to Kottler and Carlson were the particular ways the therapists worked with their patients. More than an entertaining read for the layperson, this thoughtful presentation underscores the value of seeking professional therapy and choosing the right therapist. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0787965413
• ISBN 13: 9780787965419
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336