Moments of Engagement: Intimate Psychotherapy in a Technological Age

by Peter D. Kramer

Through fascinating case histories and revealing encounters with patients, Dr. Peter Kramer, author of the international bestseller Listening to Prozac ,  provides a compassionate, immensely eloquent view of how psychiatry really works. Dr. Kramer was recently asked to guest host The Infinite Mind , a weekly public radio show focusing on the art and science of the human mind and spirit, behavior, and mental health. Listen to the show now.

Genres: Psychology, Psychiatry, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 1989

About the author

Peter D. Kramer is the author of eight books, including Ordinarily Well, Against Depression, Should You Leave?, the novels Spectacular Happiness and Death of the Great Man, and the international bestseller Listening to Prozac. Dr. Kramer hosted the nationally syndicated public radio program The Infinite Mind and has appeared on the major broadcast news and talk shows, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Charlie Rose, and Fresh Air. His essays, op-eds, and book reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and elsewhere. For nearly forty years, Dr. Kramer taught and practiced psychiatry in Providence, Rhode Island, where he isEmeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. He now writes full time.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book made me glad I wasn't a psychiatrist/psychologist, actually. too much presumption and responsibility for me. I read it for the stories about therapy, and there were some interesting ones, but there was also a lot of philosophizing about what psychoanalysis is, does it include empathy, etc. like much philosophy, that kind of bored me. just reading the book made me more analytical about things going on in my life and friends' lives. always fun! this author also wrote listening to prozac, which I haven't read and don't plan to. he was a harvard man and he does sort of namedrop famous intellectuals (aristotle, wittgenstein, etc.) in what feels like a showoffy "I am so educated" way. he also referenced I think, john gardner's book on creativity to make some sort of really stretched analogies between writing fiction and doing therapy - it just felt more like, look, I'm well-rounded! I read outside my field!

so, based on content alone I would have given it two stars, but I felt it working in my life, so it got three.

[Don Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read this about 15-16 years ago, but I felt I got more out of it this time around. Not sure why. Maybe it's because I was looking for specific details and information, some of which I got and some I didn't. (File it under: story research). Though the author's writing tends toward the extremely precious at times, the insight into the practice is revealing and sometimes surprising. Well worth it if you're interested in the subject.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're into psychology books, this is a good collection of vignettes.

[Igor Shteynberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collections of essays that provides multidimensional insight in to the art therapy.