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.



Salman Akhtar, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. He has served on the editorial boards of The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and the Psychoanalytic Quarterly. His nearly 400 publications include 99 books, of which the following 20 are solo-authored: Broken Structures (1992), Quest for Answers (1995), Inner Torment (1999), Immigration and Identity (1999), New Clinical Realms (2003), Objects of Our Desire (2005), Regarding Others (2007), Turning Points in Dynamic Psychotherapy (2009), The Damaged Core (2009), Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychoanalysis (2009), Immigration and Acculturation (2011), Matters of Life and Death (2011), The Book of Emotions (2012), Psychoanalytic Listening (2013), Good Stuff (2013), Sources of Suffering (2014), No Holds Barred (2016), A Web of Sorrow (2017), Mind, Culture, and Global Unrest (2018), and Silent Virtues (2019).



Dr Akhtar has delivered many prestigious invited lectures including a Plenary Address at the 2nd International Congress of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders in Oslo, Norway (1991), an Invited Plenary Paper at the 2nd International Margaret S. Mahler Symposium in Cologne, Germany (1993), an Invited Plenary Paper at the Rencontre Franco-Americaine de Psychanalyse meeting in Paris, France (1994), a Keynote Address at the 43rd IPA Congress in Rio de Janiero, Brazil (2005), the Plenary Address at the 150th Freud Birthday Celebration sponsored by the Dutch Psychoanalytic Society and the Embassy of Austria in Leiden, Holland (2006), and the Inaugural Address at the first IPA-Asia Congress in Beijing, China (2010).



Dr Akhtar is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Psychoanalytic Association's Edith Sabshin Award (2000), Columbia University's Robert Liebert Award for Distinguished Contributions to Applied Psychoanalysis (2004), the American Psychiatric Association's Kun Po Soo Award (2004) and Irma Bland Award for being the Outstanding Teacher of Psychiatric Residents in the country (2005). He received the highly prestigious Sigourney Award (2012) for distinguished contributions to psychoanalysis. In 2103, he gave the Commencement Address at graduation ceremonies of the Smith College School of Social Work in Northampton, MA.



Dr Akhtar's books have been translated into many languages, including German, Italian, Korean, Persian, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish. A true Renaissance man, Dr Akhtar has served as the Film Review Editor for The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, and is currently serving as the Book Review Editor for the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies. He has published 9 collections of poetry and serves as a Scholar-in-Residence at the Inter-Act Theatre Company in Philadelphia.



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