Main description:

One hundred (and one) tales to mark Salman Akhtar's one hundredth book! Divided into eight informative parts - Dr Akhtar's journey to psychoanalysis; the lessons he learned from his teachers, supervisors, and mentors; the teachings from his peers and colleagues; the benefits of clinical work; the impact of cultural difference; insights gained from students, supervisees, and audiences; his experiences of writing, editing, and publishing; and advice for those about to take their first steps - each section is packed full of incredible advice lightly given in a series of engaging anecdotes.

Tales of Transformation: A Life in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis is the perfect book for trainees, practising clinicians, those considering psychoanalysis as a career path, anyone with an interest in the subject, and all who enjoy reading the recollections of a witty raconteur.

Contents:

PROLOGUE

What is not in this book?

Part I

Finding my way to psychoanalysis

1. Delusion and stage acting

2. A nagging question

3. Papa!

4. A benevolent prediction

5. Otto Fenichel in a navy blue suit

6.How can one predict such things?

7. Streaking in New Jersey

8. A class act

9. Don't mess with the master

10. Nipples

11. Self-castration and a man called John Buckman

12. The grand permission

13. Refusing to listen

PART II

Lessons I received from my teachers, supervisors, and mentors

14. The renowned analyst who traumatized me

15. Why not Broadway?

16. Rare indeed

17. To pee or not to peeIndian miniatures and Jackson Pollock

18. Indian miniatures and Jackson Pollock

19. What else can a man want?

20. Unlike Jacob Freud

21. Illusionless man

22. Let us give the boy a chance!

23. A true gentleman

24. Ten percent goes a long way!

25. Naughty-1

26.Schizophrenia

27.The Brazilian panic

28. Amazing grace

29. A diligent follow-up

30. From 'Liquid Steel' to 'Deep Throat'

31. A brutal transgression

32. Seven features of a proper apology

33. A missed opportunity

34. The man who laid everything on the line

35. Leonard Horowitz eats baklava

PART III

What my colleagues and peers taught me

36. An act of genuine empathy

37. The mourning pill

38. Eleven hours in Oslo

39. From Stephen Ward to Ivan Ward

40. A gentleman from Virginia introduced me to Charles Darwin

41. On an escalator in Toronto

42. Dominic and Damien

43. Psychoanalysis and Idi Amin

44. My own narrowmindedness

45. Book review-1

46. Hardly arrogant

47. Circumcision-1

48. Bangles

49. Un-associated

50. No, I did not sleep with Mark Moore and Ira Brenner

51. Frank Maleson made me lose a million dollars

52. Ralph Fishkin made me think

53. An editor's gift

54. Circumcision-2

PART IV

Clinical work turned out to be my 'royal road' to learning

55. Long before the Rain Man

56. A son by any other name

57. Silence and stillness

58. The man who shot a pregnant woman

59. Between yes and no

60. Learning to speak from animals

61. Please don't give me any money

62. A now moment

63. Let us do it this Sunday

64. Naming the female genital

65. First patience, then act of faith

66. The boat never sinks

67. Curtailing the greed for interpretation

68. Milk and cookies

69. Ten most important lessons

PART V

The cultural difference between me and my professional surround became an adjunct instructor of mine

70. Meeting Masud Khan

71. One friendly nudge, one award, and two books

72. Who pays?

73. From Evelyne Schwaber to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

74. Trans-fixed

75. 'You are not one of us!'

76. The altruistic core of 9/11

77. A dam across the Ganges

78. 'What else can you expect from these Muslims?'

79. My African American struggle

80. Culture, narcissism, or sorrow?

81. 'Humbug!'

82. A good reason to not have sex?

PART VI

Insights that arose from dealing with students, supervisees, and sundry audiences

83. Two flower vases

84. Can water cure cancer?

85. On being called a 'good man'

86. Tennis as a disguise for psychoanalysis

87. Naughty-2

88. My French connection

89. Can a believer be a psychoanalyst?

90. Who do I belong to?

91. Is really old stuff any good?

92. Seventy-three plus twenty-five

PART VII

Writing, editing, and publishing 'saved' me

93. Writing aids

94. Why I write

95. Writing as manic defense

96. Why I edit books

97. On being a midwife

98. A man of few words

99. Book Review-2

100. Writing poetry

101. One final thought

EPILOGUE

A few amazing coincidences

Permissions

Acknowledgments

About the author

The other ninety-nine books by the author

Name index