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190th out of 411 books
—
429 voters
Schopenhauer's Porcupines: Intimacy And Its Dilemmas: Five Stories Of Psychotherapy
Each generation of therapists can boast of only a few writers like Deborah Luepnitz, whose sympathy and wit shine through a fine, luminous prose. In Schopenhauer's Porcupines she recounts five true stories from her practice, stories of patients who range from the super-rich to the homeless and who grapple with panic attacks, psychosomatic illness, marital despair, and sexu...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
February 24th 2003
by Basic Books
(first published 2002)
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This is an interesting and instructive account by a talk-therapy psychotherapist of clients she treated over the years, and what she learned. Her central image is that of porcupines who inevitably wound if they get too close to each another. People don’t have quills, but they often came to the author with emotional trauma or difficult history that likewise wounded as they attempted intimacy. I was left impressed with the author’s dedication, especially toward one impoverished woman she saw for f...more
Luepnitz tells five stories of patients she has worked with in therapy. All are resounding successes, though all come from wildly different backgrounds. Luepnitz is a traditional Freudian therapist and that bothered me at first. But as I read on, I could see Luepnitz seems to use traditional Freudian techniques to read a patient, much like I read the characters in a book. It was a fascinating read, watching as patients became more and more forthcoming with their problems and difficulties. Do all...more
*The space between isolation and entanglement*
Through five captivating patient narratives, psychologist Deborah Luepnitz amazingly captures the essence of the human struggle of finding balance between the self and the other. Each chapter paints a version of the push-pull relationship between our simultaneous needs for independence and connection. This universal dilemma of intimacy is nicely portrayed with the ongoing metaphor of a troop of porcupines huddling to stay warm on a cold winter's day...more
Through five captivating patient narratives, psychologist Deborah Luepnitz amazingly captures the essence of the human struggle of finding balance between the self and the other. Each chapter paints a version of the push-pull relationship between our simultaneous needs for independence and connection. This universal dilemma of intimacy is nicely portrayed with the ongoing metaphor of a troop of porcupines huddling to stay warm on a cold winter's day...more
This book is very telling. People, like porcupines, are in need of close relationships in order to truly thrive BUT ... how close should those relationships be before one feels the prickle and runs away? And what of those relationships that are comforting and prickly at the same time? How do people reconcile those dilemmas? The answer to that is different for everyone; this book explores the answers that 5 people discover through psychotherapy. This book is so very interesting and detailed. High...more
My second time reading this one...and probably not my last. I have heard Deborah Luepnitz present at a conference and found her just as interesting and entertaining in person (as well as pretty darn talented clinically). This book is a series of five cases studies from her practice as a psychoanalyst, with the common theme being the issue of relational "intimacy." In Schopenhauer's original tale, porcupines are described as huddling together against the cold, only to have to move away because th...more
at first, i wasn't sure i believed annice that this would be a book i loved.
however, then i got to the last two case studies. pearl's story, and the way the author worked with her, was inspiring. and then! then we got to emily. and emily broke my heart, but also the way deborah didn't give up on her really meant a lot to me, as a wanna be therapist. i mean, she made sure she had support with herself, getting a supervisor to talk through the issues and she stuck with this woman for over a decade...more
however, then i got to the last two case studies. pearl's story, and the way the author worked with her, was inspiring. and then! then we got to emily. and emily broke my heart, but also the way deborah didn't give up on her really meant a lot to me, as a wanna be therapist. i mean, she made sure she had support with herself, getting a supervisor to talk through the issues and she stuck with this woman for over a decade...more
Dr. Luepnitz does such a remarkable job, not only during her sessions with these five patients, but also in grasping the ongoing emotional battle of them dealing with intimacy vs. isolation demands. Demands which are stronger than what their consciousness allows them to do. The porcupine metaphor is beautiful as it is heart-breaking and the five stories explored in this book give the reader a sense of hope, warmth and understanding.
In Schopenhauer's Porcupines: Intimacy and Its Dilemmas, Deborah Luepnitz presents the theories, intricacies, failings and victories of the analytic process of psychotherapy as she relates the case histories of five diverse patients/subjects. Although her target audience may ultimately be students of psychoanalysis, Luepnitz describes the process of the "talking cure" without pretensions. Even the reader without a background in psychology will find her stories compelling and her analysis easy to...more
This book wasn't necessarily what I was expecting, as it deals with all kinds of relationships, not just romantic, but also familiar, etc...But it did teach me a thing or two about psychotherapy by giving me a better understanding (and appreciation) of the language and theory behind it.
Although I wasn't too sure about the book at first, the last two chapters really struck me. I found both The Darwinian Finch and The Sin Eater to be especially rich and insightful investigations into the complexi...more
Although I wasn't too sure about the book at first, the last two chapters really struck me. I found both The Darwinian Finch and The Sin Eater to be especially rich and insightful investigations into the complexi...more
According to this book, during a cold evening, porcupines continually move in towards each other for warmth, and are repelled outward again by each others' quills. This is the metaphor for the dilemmas of intimacy explored in these stories from a psychotherapists' notebook.
Personally I think it's impossible to read this book without becoming struck by how emotional all of these stories are. Dr. Lueopnitz writes like a novelist who is intricately aware of human suffering. She discusses psychoanalytic theory in a way that is understandable to all, and embraces the experience of the subjectivity of the analyst. Brilliant, I look forward to reading it all again.
December 2009 -
I just re-read this book and realized it allowed me to decide to enter into the profession of psychology. Her tone makes therapy so accessible and the elements of human nature she describes (and subtly dissects) are key to the subtitle - Intimacy and It's Dilemmas. Now a favorite!
August 2008-
I really liked these five case studies of individuals in psychotherapy who had various issues with intimacy/relationships. I also liked how the author/therapist used analogies and references...more
I just re-read this book and realized it allowed me to decide to enter into the profession of psychology. Her tone makes therapy so accessible and the elements of human nature she describes (and subtly dissects) are key to the subtitle - Intimacy and It's Dilemmas. Now a favorite!
August 2008-
I really liked these five case studies of individuals in psychotherapy who had various issues with intimacy/relationships. I also liked how the author/therapist used analogies and references...more
Really the only good part is the bit on the inside sleeve about the troop of porcupines milling about on a cold winter's day that ends up struggling for a comfortable place between entanglement and freezing.
Dr. Luepnitz does an excellent job of presenting what therapy is like from the perspective of the therapist. Her writing style makes this book a pleasure to read. She has a knack for integrating psychological theory in her exploration of a patient's case that makes for an informative and entertaining read. Her stories bring the underlying and very personal symbolism of each patient back full circle to where it began with the resolution of the patient's dilemmas. Because of this, each story feels...more
Her case studies read like fiction, which is reason enough to read this, even if she weren't also particularly insightful.
workings of projective identification.
This is a wonderful collection of five cases from Luepnitz's psychotherapy practice. For anyone who is in the field, or merely interested in what this talking cure is really about, it's an engaging, smart read.
It's like butta...NUFF SAID!
Nice metaphor for relationships.
One of my favorite books about relationships. It's full of insights about the many ways in which we run into trouble when we try to be in love. Very insightful, very engaging, really cool stories about people's problems and the way they resolve them with the help of a gifted therapists. It's the best kind of looking at people's dirty laundry. It actually makes you more thoughtful about your relationships.
presented five case studies of clients, which were interesting reads. My favorite part of the book was the short introduction. Luepnitz includes Arthur Schopenhauer's description of intimacy--of porcupines who need to huddle together to keep warm. If they get too close, they poke each other with their quills; if they are too far apart, they won't stay warm.
the vignettes in this book are entertaining, written almost like a good novel. it was fun to puzzle over the cases and think of how i might handle them in the author's place. a pretty fast read once you get past the intro chapter
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I didn't feel like the case studies fit completely with the theme and the counselor is psychoanalytic. However, the last chapter is absolutely hillarious and a must read.
A counterpoint read to The Elementary Particles, as hearing about fixing relationships is oddly comforting.
this book is full of great stories and is a great guide to understanding psychoanalysis
Vignettes of couples psychoanalytic/dynamic psychotherapy. Say no more.
great book about doing psychotherapy
Read it twice!
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Jun 04, 2011 04:34pm