The Pregnant Man

A student bound for a prestigious writing program is suddenly and inexplicably incapable of reading a single word. A staid society matron, looking to overcome her anxiety about flying, reveals a daredevil past. A young woman trying to come to terms with her sister's suicide is hampered by a poltergeist's mischievous interventions. A man who sets out to end an addiction to nicotine instead develops a false pregnancy. Can hypnotherapy heal a troubled mind? Why is it so compelling and controversial? In The Pregnant Man: And Other Cases from a Hypnotherapist's Couch, Dr. Deirdre Barrett describes how she has used the fascinating discipline known as hypnotherapy to treat these patients and many others. Tracing the voyage of seven patients through her practice, she demonstrates how hypnosis can accelerate and magnify the benefits of psychotherapy--and occasionally its dangers. Several of Dr. Barrett's patients evince disquieting symptoms--hallucinations, multiple personalities, and more--that hypnotic explorations reveal as variations on the universal themes of love, bereavement, envy, and shame. Other patients bring to her couch more mundane complaints--a desire to quit smoking, fear of flying--and in the course of their therapy uncover surprising dramas behind them. The Pregnant Man follows Dr. Barrett's personal evolution as a hypnotherapist, even as it illuminates the art and science of a branch of psychotherapy all too often misunderstood by the general public. She explains how hypnotherapy can offer a deeper window into the workings of the mind and offers expert guidance on deciding whether hypnotherapy is right for you. From the Trade Paperback edition.