As far back as we know, there have been individuals incapacitated by memories that have filled them with sadness and remorse, fright and horror, or a sense of irreparable loss. Only recently, however, have people tormented with such recollections been diagnosed as suffering from "post-traumatic stress disorder." Here Allan Young traces this malady, particularly as it is suffered by Vietnam veterans, to its beginnings in the emergence of ideas about the unconscious mind and to earlier manifestations of traumatic memory like shell shock or traumatic hysteria. In Young's view, PTSD is not a timeless or universal phenomenon newly discovered. Rather, it is a "harmony of illusions," a cultural product gradually put together by the practices, technologies, and narratives with which it is diagnosed, studied, and treated and by the various interests, institutions, and moral arguments mobilizing these efforts.

This book is part history and part ethnography, and it includes a detailed account of everyday life in the treatment of Vietnam veterans with PTSD. To illustrate his points, Young presents a number of fascinating transcripts of the group therapy and diagnostic sessions that he observed firsthand over a period of two years. Through his comments and the transcripts themselves, the reader becomes familiar with the individual hospital personnel and clients and their struggle to make sense of life after a tragic war. One observes that everyone on the unit is heavily invested in the PTSD diagnosis: boundaries between therapist and patient are as unclear as were the distinctions between victim and victimizer in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Brian LeClair, a man broken by his own choices, is running from the pain in his life. Trapped in a historic bed and breakfast during a violent storm, LeClair spends three days with Mary, the innkeeper, where he is forced to confront his beliefs, his purpose and his heart. Three Days with Mary is an emotional journey of one man's redemption and salvation, and his discovery of something we all strive for, perfect love. "Perfect love is when you sacrifice your own wants, needs and desires for someone else in order to enhance their life... And when you find it, you hold on to it. You protect it with every ounce of your being. Nothing can interfere with it." "Three Days with Mary will change your life. Young will show you the greatest love you can ever experience and make you want it more." - Amber Benefield "Excellent new author I wanted more. Young draws a picture with his words and makes you feel like you are watching it happen. More, more more..." - Jodi Blancett, Author "Young's writing is reminiscent of a Christian version of Nicholas Sparks. He's not afraid to delve into the deepest areas of love and sacrifice without losing the deep hope we still have through God. His stories live in our hearts and our dreams long after you've finished the story." - Dineen Miller, Spiritually Unequal Marriage Robert Allan Young resides in the Dallas, Texas area where he works for Bluefishtv. He is currently working on his third novel. Publisher's Website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/ThreeDaysWithMary.html

Like its classic predecessor, "Asian Medical Systems," "Paths to Asian Medical Knowledge" significantly expands the study of Asian medicine. These essays ask how patients and practitioners know what they know--what evidence of disease or health they consider convincing and what cultural traditions and symbols guide their thinking. Whether discussing Japanese anatomy texts, Islamic humoralism, Ayurvedic clinical practice, or a variety of other subjects, the authors offer an exciting range of information and suggest new theoretical avenues for medical anthropology.

Recent work on empathy theory, research, and applications, by scholars from disciplines ranging from neuroscience to psychoanalysis. There are many reasons for scholars to investigate empathy. Empathy plays a crucial role in human social interaction at all stages of life; it is thought to help motivate positive social behavior, inhibit aggression, and provide the affective and motivational bases for moral development; it is a necessary component of psychotherapy and patient-physician interactions. This volume covers a wide range of topics in empathy theory, research, and applications, helping to integrate perspectives as varied as anthropology and neuroscience. The contributors discuss the evolution of empathy within the mammalian brain and the development of empathy in infants and children; the relationships among empathy, social behavior, compassion, and altruism; the neural underpinnings of empathy; cognitive versus emotional empathy in clinical practice; and the cost of empathy. Taken together, the contributions significantly broaden the interdisciplinary scope of empathy studies, reporting on current knowledge of the evolutionary, social, developmental, cognitive, and neurobiological aspects of empathy and linking this capacity to human communication, including in clinical practice and medical education.