Irvin D. Yalom is een auteur van zowel fictie als non-fictie, emeritus hoogleraar psychiatrie en een bekwame existentialistische psychotherapeut. Zijn werken putten diep uit zijn uitgebreide ervaring in psychotherapie en verkennen de complexiteit van de menselijke psyche. Yalom verweeft meesterlijk psychologische principes met meeslepende verhalen, en biedt lezers unieke inzichten in de menselijke conditie en interpersoonlijke relaties. Zijn schrijven wordt gekenmerkt door diepgang, empathie en diepgaand inzicht, wat hem vestigt als een belangrijke stem in de psychologische literatuur.
Het decor: Wenen aan het eind van de 19de eeuw, de psychoanalyse staat op het punt door te breken. De hoofdfiguren: Friedrich Nietzsche, de 'filosoof met de hamer' en Dr. Josef Breuer, een van de grondleggers van de psychoanalyse. Het drama: Nietzsche loopt rond met zelfmoordplannen nadar Lou Salomé gewigerd heeft zijn vrouw te worden. Dr. Breuer is bezeten van een patiënte en weet zich geen raad met zijn obsessie. Op verzoek van Lou Salomé begint Breuer een poging om Nietzsche te 'behandelen', maar hij ontdekt dat Nietzsche spelenderwijs Breuers' problemen ter hand neemt.
Op de dag dat de vooraanstaande psychiater Julius Hertzfeld te horen krijgt dat hem waarschijnlijk nog maar één jaar te leven rest, begint hij met een onderzoek naar de betekenis van zijn leven. Hij zoekt na meer dan twintig jaar contact met Philip, een aantrekkelijke, arrogante, contactgestoorde, seksverslaafde man, die drie jaar bij hem in therapie zat - zonder enig resultaat. Philip blijkt tot Julius' grote verbazing gepromoveerd te zijn in de filosofie en een opleiding te volgen tot therapeut. Julius biedt zich aan als supervisor - met als voorwaarde dat Philip aan zijn therapiegroep zal deelnemen. Eén van de leden van deze therapiegroep, Pam, blijkt slachtoffer van Philip te zijn geweest en is nooit over deze traumatische ervaring heen gekomen. Terwijl de groepsleden proberen om te gaan met deze ontvlambare situatie en het einde van Julius' laatste jaar schrikbarend dichtbij komt, stijgt de therapie tot een ongekend hoog niveau - met buitengewone veranderingen bij elk groepslid als gevolg.
The noted Stanford University psychiatrist distills the essence of a wide range of therapies into a masterful, creative synthesis, opening up a new way of understanding each person's confrontation with four ultimate concerns: isolation, meaninglessness, death, and freedom.
Tells the story of the seventeenth-century thinker Baruch Spinoza, his philosophy and subsequent excommunication from the Jewish community, and his apparent influence on the Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, whose einsatzgruppe was dispatched during the Second world war to investigate a mysterious "Spinoza Problem".
"A co-written project by Irvin and Marilyn Yalom, which describes their heartbreaking journey as a couple married 65 years facing the end of their long partnership. A longtime teacher and therapist on the subject of death anxiety, Dr. Yalom now confronts the loss of his wife and his own mortality. This book will offer wisdom from one of the foremost existential psychiatrists and illuminate the importance of relationships-friendship, family, and romantic-as we all age"--
Focusing on the dynamics of group therapy, this classic work explores the principles and practices that underpin effective group psychotherapy. It delves into the interactions among group members, the role of the therapist, and the therapeutic processes that facilitate healing and personal growth. Rich with insights and case studies, it serves as an essential guide for practitioners and students alike, offering a comprehensive understanding of how group settings can enhance psychological well-being.
From one of the most celebrated and highly respected authorities in the field of psychotherapy comes a collection of his best works. In this anthology of Yalom's most influential work to date, readers experience the diversity of his writings, with pieces that range from the highly concrete and clinical to the abstract and theoretical.
Acclaimed author and renowned psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom distills thirty-five years of psychotherapy wisdom into one brilliant volume. The culmination of master psychiatrist Dr. Irvin D. Yalom's more than thirty-five years in clinical practice, The Gift of Therapy is a remarkable and essential guidebook that illustrates through real case studies how patients and therapists alike can get the most out of therapy. The bestselling author of Love's Executioner shares his uniquely fresh approach and the valuable insights he has gained-presented as eighty-five personal and provocative 'tips for beginner therapists', including: *Let the patient matter to you *Acknowledge your errors *Create a new therapy for each patient *Do home visits *(Almost) never make decisions for the patient *Freud was not always wrong A book aimed at enriching the therapeutic process for a new generation of patients and counsellors, Yalom's Gift of Therapy is an entertaining, informative, and insightful read for anyone with an interest in the subject.
"Yalom describes his patients' struggles-- as well as his own-- to come to terms with the two great challenges of existence: how to have a meaningful life, and how to reckon with its inevitable end"--Dust jacket flap.
When sixteen-year-old Alfred Rosenberg is called into his headmaster’s office for anti-Semitic remarks he made during a school speech, he is forced, as punishment, to memorize passages about Spinoza from the autobiography of the German poet Goethe. Rosenberg is stunned to discover that Goethe, his idol, was a great admirer of the Jewish seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Long after graduation, Rosenberg remains haunted by this “Spinoza problem”: how could the German genius Goethe have been inspired by a member of a race Rosenberg considers so inferior to his own, a race he was determined to destroy? Spinoza himself was no stranger to punishment during his lifetime. Because of his unorthodox religious views, he was excommunicated from the Amsterdam Jewish community in 1656, at the age of twenty-four, and banished from the only world he had ever known. Though his life was short and he lived without means in great isolation, he nonetheless produced works that changed the course of history. Over the years, Rosenberg rose through the ranks to become an outspoken Nazi ideologue, a faithful servant of Hitler, and the main author of racial policy for the Third Reich. Still, his Spinoza obsession lingered. By imagining the unexpected intersection of Spinoza’s life with Rosenberg’s, internationally bestselling novelist Irvin D. Yalom explores the mindsets of two men separated by 300 years. Using his skills as a psychiatrist, he explores the inner lives of Spinoza, the saintly secular philosopher, and of Rosenberg, the godless mass murderer.
