The Mind and I

James Joyce is the author of Pucker Factor 10: Memoir of a U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and has written numerous articles for newspapers such as the Durango Herald and the Chicago Tribune. He is CEO of Green Mountain International, a global purveyor of polyurethane construction products, and lives in Waynesville, North Carolina.

Table of Contents


Preface 1

1. Colorado: Splitting to the Rockies 5

2. Why I Became a Psychoanalyst: It Made Sense 12

3. Can a Catholic Do It? Yes 19

4. My First Patient: She Was Perfect 27

5. It’s Not Academic: It’s Empathetic 33

6. What It’s Like to Be a Shrink: A ­God-Like Business 39

7. Making a Diagnosis: It’s All About Age 48

8. Sex and Sexuality: A Big Deal 55

9. The History of You: HX 62

10. Transference: Don’t I Know You from Someplace? 69

11. Oh, No, Not Again! Bad Broken Records 78

12. Gotcha: The Pain in the Ass People 85

13. Dreams: The Royal Roads 92

14. Herr Professor Doktor Sigmund Freud: Giant 106

15. Use Eagles, If Necessary: Breaking Protocol 116

16. Sometimes We Make Mistakes: Of Course 122

17. Big Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do 129

18. The Safe Haven: INT 135

19. Pissed Off: And Then Some 148

20. Who Saved Your Butt? Find Out 157

21. Ways to Screw Up Kids: Oh So Many 163

22. They’re Just Babies, Too, You Know: Fragility Is Ours 173

23. Should I See a Shrink? Why Do You Ask? 179

24. A Shrink’s Eye View: Why People Think We’re Nutty 188

25. The Final Session: RES 196

Bibliography 201

Index 203