Fractured Minds introduces the reader to clinical neuropsychology through vivid case descriptions of adults who have suffered brain damage. At one level, this is a book about the courage, humor, and determination to triumph over illness and disability that many "ordinary people" demonstrate when coping with the extraordinary stress of a brain disorder. On another level, it is a well-referenced and up-to-date textbook that provides a holistic view of the practice of clinical neuropsychology. Included are reader-friendly ...
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Fractured Minds introduces the reader to clinical neuropsychology through vivid case descriptions of adults who have suffered brain damage. At one level, this is a book about the courage, humor, and determination to triumph over illness and disability that many "ordinary people" demonstrate when coping with the extraordinary stress of a brain disorder. On another level, it is a well-referenced and up-to-date textbook that provides a holistic view of the practice of clinical neuropsychology. Included are reader-friendly descriptions and explanations of a wide range of neurological disorders and neuroscientific concepts. Two introductory chapters are followed by 17 chapters that each focus on a specific disorder and include research, clinical assessment, rehabilitation, and a detailed case study. Disorders range across the full spectrum from common ones such as traumatic brain injury and dementia, to rare disorders such as autotopagnosia. Each of the 16 chapters retained from the first edition has been revised to reflect current research and clinical advances. Three new chapters on multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease incorporate discussion of important current topics such as genetically-transmitted diseases, genetic counseling, gene transplantation, functional neurosurgery, and the complex ethical issues that go hand-in-hand with these new techniques. This informative and engaging book will be of interest to students of clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and neurology, health professionals who work with neurological patients, neurological patients and their families, and lay readers who are simply fascinated by the mind and brain.
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I read this book 25 years ago or so, and I found it to be a revelation. It affected and changed my thinking about many things, e.g., psychotherapy, group processes, intercultural (mis)understandings, ecology, epistemology and probably some other subjects. The book discusses principles of communication and interaction that apply to many academic and non-academic disciplines. It may not just change what you think about the world, but how you think about it.
The book is the result of research at the Mental Research Institute at Palo Alto (those are the guys that gave us the "double bind") and combines high intelligence with extremely funny writing, so in the end you may not know if you read it to become smarter or just because you wanted to be entertained.
