In two minds - Paul Valent

Through the fascinating stories of his work with patients and the examination of his own life story as a Holocaust survivor, the author describes the struggles and discoveries in his varied four-decade career as a retired medical doctor, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist. Each chapter offers a glimpse into psychotherapeutic encounters, ranging from field work with disaster survivors and patients grappling with terminal illness and postnatal depression to the private challenges of unearthing childhood trauma in a sex offender. The ubiquitous human issues such as morality, trauma, illness, and death are articulated and grappled with throughout the collection. The text also illustrates how split minds attempt to forge meaningful lives out of adversity.