Schopenhauer's Porcupines

Intimacy and Its Dilemmas: Five Stories of Psychotherapy

By: Deborah Anna Luepnitz

Narrated by: Deborah Anna Luepnitz

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The classic compilation of psychological case studies from a master clinician and lyrical writer

Each generation of therapists can boast of only a few writers like Deborah Luepnitz, whose sympathy and wit shine in her fine, luminous prose. In Schopenhauer's Porcupines, she recounts five true stories from her practice, stories of patients who range from the super-rich to the destitute, who grapple with panic attacks, psychosomatic illness, marital despair, and sexual recklessness. Intimate, original, and triumphantly funny, Schopenhauer's Porcupines goes further than any other book in illuminating "how talking helps".

©2002 Deborah Anna Luepnitz (P)2021 Basic Books

Critic reviews

"Drawing heavily on the work of Lacan, Winnicott, and Klein, Luepintz educates us as well, allowing us to look over her shoulder and see miracles happen." (Boston Globe)

"Schopenhauer's Porcupines is the most affirming, original, and literate psychoanalytic work of the past thirty years." (Psychoanalytic Psychology)

"I could not put Schopenhauer's Porcupines down. These stories illustrate how a master clinician uses complex and sophisticated theory with just the right light touch, so that it seems transparent to her patients and her readers." (Lewis Aron, PhD, director, New York University)

Fantastic

This was an incredibly thought provoking and well written book which managed to explain the therapeutic process in an incredibly accessible way. I loved it and could read another ten volumes of similar books.

A great reading of a great book

What a great listen! I read and loved this wonderful book about psychotherapy many years ago. But listening to the author reading it aloud brings a wonderful new dimension to it. Luepnitz does a really lovely job of bringing her patients to life with skillful voice acting, which in turn brings a dramatic energy to the more theoretical passages. This is a rich, substantive, and entertaining book.

Accessible to all

Shopenhauer's Porcupines makes talk therapy easy for the lay person to understand. The author tells the stories of five patients, and explains how transference occurs and is used to heal wounds of the past. Pretty fascinating stuff.

Enjoyable and informative

This is an engaging look at the work of psychoanalysis. Over the course of five case studies, the author introduces basic psychoanalytic concepts and shows how these apply to her patients’ situations. Luepnitz has a warm, personal tone as a narrator and explains each stage of analysis in language that the average person can understand. Unlike some, I thought the narrator’s use of different accents added clarity (since several stories involve multiple patients) and sometimes a touch of humor. A good read for anyone interested in Freudian analysis or the problems of human intimacy.

Excellent case studies

A lovely book with great case studies and a masterful command of history. I loved the narration with the exception of some of the accents (which were a little painful). A must read for any future therapist or anyone who enjoyed therapeutic inspiration.

Poignant listen

Entertaining narration with accents. Fascinating stories. An interesting look into psychoanalytic therapy. Well worth the listen.

Entertaining and informative!

I love listening to books read by their author! It helps me feel connected with the author and know that the emphasis is intended on since it is the author. This book was certainly no different and I think Dr. Luepnitz did an amazing job narrating the stories and making me feel like I was brought into her therapy office. I was immersed. I am also a clinical Psychology student, so I found the content very applicable and helped me think through my own cases.

wonderful read

slow start, but a wonderful read! I love the author also read the book, it really brings the listener in! I recommend!

Engrossing listen

I'm a psychiatry resident and first heard about this book at a talk by Nancy McWilliams who recommended it. I enjoyed the how the author melded the intellectual curiosity and humanity that's characteristic of good therapy in her stories. She did a great job of bringing her patient encounters to life with her fantastic narration.

I guarantee you will not like this book

I listened to the sample and the narration was fine. Oh, but then there is a surprise to come! The author tries to characterize her clients by speaking in a very loud voice with an annoying accent. It's worse than nails on a blackboard.