Psychotherapy Books

THE MYSTIFIED FORTUNE-TELLER
AND OTHER TALES FROM PSYCHOTHERAPY

"These are wonderfully told tales of a listener, knowing and wise observer, and healer -- they are stories that get to the heart of what it is that happens in psychotherapy."
-- Robert Coles, Harvard University.

“This collection of human interest stories is based on Dr. Amada's many years of psychological practice.  The author is willing to share his therapeutic successes, often happily based on good judgment and common sense, as well as his failures from his early years of training.  This candid approach results in anecdotes that may have happy endings or leave us as puzzled as they left the author.  Readers who are curious about the daily encounters of a psychotherapist will be entertained and intrigued by the great variety of anecdotes.”
--Sophie Freud

Synopsis
From the ridiculous to the tragic, you'll find the tales of Amada's treatment of unusual patients fascinating, disturbing, and utterly engrossing.

Publishers Weekly

Nearly 40 cases from the files of California psychotherapist Amada illuminate the broad range of clients' troubles and therapists' dilemmas. What is rare and especially of interest about this collection is its emphasis on those cases that ended in painful "entanglements, perplexities, misjudgments, and human culs-de-sac" that arose between the psychotherapist and his clients. In retrospect, Amada shows, ostensible failures often yield rich insights.
In "A Case of Vandalism," he confesses how his anger at a provocative patient led him to misinterpret a gesture toward relationship. In "The Artful Tantalizer," one of the few successes he portrays, Amada is justifiably proud of a flash of clarity he enjoyed that almost instantly liberated a woman from a longstanding destructive relationship. Sometimes, as in "The Misogynist," the author admits he is not sure why something he said defused a patient's homicidal rage. Another lengthy case ("All in a Day's Work") fascinates with Amada's account not only of the woman client's penchant for abusive men but of his fear of violent retribution by one of the abusers.
Amada practices from a psychodynamic viewpoint, so most of the essays point to childhood experiences at the root of clients' emotional pain. In addition, however, he provides thoughtful glimpses into the self-questioning mind of an experienced psychotherapist, illuminating therapy as a craft rather than as an exact science. (Mar.)

The Power of Negative Thinking:
Coming to Terms with our Forbidden Emotions

“A well-written, easy and entertaining read…humorous and tellingly illustrated”
--Leighton Whitaker, Widener University

Although society encourages us to deny and repress such negative emotions as rage and resentment, psychiatrists know that such denial can lead to a variety of psychological, physical, and social problems.  In this bold book, Gerald Amada reveals how our “forbidden” emotions, if properly understood and accepted, can actually be transformed into behavior that is both personally fulfilling and socially constructive.

Featuring interviews with dedicated activists and public servants, including:

• Barney Frank, Congressman from Massachusetts
• George McGovern, United States Senator from South Dakota, 1963-81 and Democratic presidential candidate in 1972
• Kenneth Gibson, former Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and one of the first black mayors of a major American city
• Barbara Boxer, United States Senator from California, 1993-present.

A Guide to psychotherapy

This book is about a personal journey, an adventure that has the potential to change one's entire outlook. It is an introduction to psychotherapy that provides clear and direct answers to commonly asked questions about psychological treatment: How do I know when to enter therapy? How do I go about selecting a therapist? Does psychotherapy really work? Do I have to relive my past? Are my dreams important? When should I end psychotherapy? And much more.