Wounded Healers

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.

'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

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).