The Taboo Scarf: And Other Tales [Paperback]

George Weinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1997

The mind is the source of our most profound fascination and mystery, and few books have unveiled the frailties, fears, and fetishes of the human condition better than "The Taboo Scarf". These nine stories are driven by a narrative as full of passion and drama as the most powerful fiction .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More like stories than case studies, these accounts of therapeutic encounters by psychotherapist Weinberg ( The Heart of Psychotherapy ) reveal the idiosyncratic, often intricate, endlessly intriguing behaviors that limited the lives of nine of his patients, most met in his Manhattan practice. With alert ears, observant eye and, mainly, an engaged heart, Weinberg searches for clues to the hidden beliefs causing the pain or confusion that brought these people into his office. We follow the unraveling of a graduate student's inhibitions about marriage and kissing to marvel at the direct relationship between important elements of her early experiences to aspects of her personal style; we track the rages imperiling the pleasures of a hardware-store owner who loves music, the impetus for the self-destructive workaholism of a Wall Street numbers cruncher. Equally present, because the process is a mutual one, is Weinberg himself, whose continuing struggle to balance involvement and detachment is as absorbing as the mysteries of his patients.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this, his tenth book, psychotherapist Weinberg describes nine patients he has successfully treated. In contrast to dry, factual case studies, these narratives are crafted more like short stories in which the therapist plays a major role, divulging conversations with patients, private thoughts, psychological strategies, and even his personal prejudices and driving record. Each tale teases the reader with suspense: There's the quasi-clairvoyant client who works as a movie usherette and lives for her five cats; the man who became catatonic to "stop time" and avoid the pain of facing his wife's death; the young woman who couldn't kiss her fiance; and, in "King of the Beasts," Eddie, who is admitted to the state hospital for behaving like a lion. Well written and jargon free, these delightful revelations are guaranteed to entertain as well as enhance therapy's image. Highly recommended for larger psychology collections.
- Janice Arenofsky, formerly with Arizona State Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312181892
• ISBN-13: 978-0312181895
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stranger than fiction & more compelling!, April 5, 2005

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Taboo Scarf and Other Tales (Hardcover)

The fact that these fascinating case studies are presented in the style of mysteries to be resolved is a plus, reminding us that our lives are essentially narratives. We live by the stories we're told & the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we attempt to live. Weinberg takes something of a back seat, letting the individuals & their lives speak for themselves; but the reader is always aware of his intelligence & compassion. With so much of the mental health field dominated by cost analysis & treated with drugs that don't always address the real problem, this volume reiterates a vital truth: therapy is as much an art as a science, and empathy is as important as insight & wisdom. Rewarding reading for anyone interested in the universe of the human psyche!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, warm, walk through the woods of the human soul., April 24, 1999

By 

Martha-Lisa :D "Martha-Lisa :D" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Taboo Scarf: And Other Tales (Paperback)

I read this book as a text in a undergraduate psychology course. I highly recomend it to anyone interested in psychotherapy, what it is like to be a patient and what it is like to be a psychotherapist.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A delightful spotlight onto both "sides" of therapy, August 29, 2000

By 

"mimzey" (Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Taboo Scarf: And Other Tales (Paperback)

I read this when an undergrad in psych - now a practiceing therapist, I re-read this book every year. It helps remind me I am human - that hubris really is something to attend to quite often. The therapist-client relationship CAN be a partnership with both bringing much to each session. I read this book before Yalom's "Love's Executioner" - I enjoy them both equally. I keep loaning my copy to collegues, and now have to order another one!

Mim