WHISPERS: The Voices of Paranoia - Softcover

Siegel, Ronald K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684802856 ISBN 13: 9780684802855

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1996

Synopsis

From a renowned scientist, a vivid and "utterly fascinating" (Los Angeles Times) exploration of the suspicion, terror, and rage that possess the mind of the paranoid.

The paranoid inhabits a different realm of being, one that tilts the world ever so slightly. Delusions and hallucinations feed on each other, flourishing with amazing speed. Locked in a new mode of thinking the paranoid views life as from a cell. In a dozen case studies Dr. Ronald Siegel takes us on a chilling but mesmerizing journey into the dark mysteries of the human mind.

We meet a woman who hears her teeth whispering; a beautiful ballet dancer who is in love with a shadow; a UCLA student who believes Hitler is speaking to him through a stolen computer program; and a cocaine addict for whom the invasion of imaginary bugs was strong enough to drive him to commit murder.

A dedicated and compassionate scientist, Dr. Siegel follows his patients into the shadowlands where paranoia flourishes—drug addiction, prison, organized crime, and terrorism often at risk to himself. He explores mild cases of patients who vaguely believe something is stalking them to serious cases of patients with apocalyptic visions so intense that they shake the foundations of an entire community. Fascinating, enlightening, and immersive, “reading Whispers is like reading about an exotic and dangerous travel adventure” (The Washington Post).

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

e insights of a gifted research scientist with vivid tales that are usually the realm of the novelist, Dr. Ronald Siegel lets his readers experience the suspicion, terror, and rage that possess the mind of the paranoid. This is the first book to investigate the actual experience of paranoia and to demonstrate that under the right conditions -- drugs or deprivation, for example -- anyone can be driven into that state. And indeed, eight million Americans already have been.

The paranoid inhabits a different realm of being, one that tilts the world ever so slightly. The senses detect these differences and sound mental alarms. Delusions and hallucinations feed on each other, flourishing with amazing speed. The paranoid becomes locked in a new mode of thinking -- viewing life as from a cell.

In a dozen case studies, Dr. Siegel follows his patients into the shadow lands where paranoia flourishes -- drug addiction, prison, organized crime, and terrorism. He introduces us to mild case

From the Back Cover:

Here are some of the stops on this journey of scientific exploration through the paranoid world of ordinary people:

A UCLA student with a stolen computer program re-creates Hitler's brain ... and the author holds a chilling conversation with the dictator.

A man in a seedy motel room, high not on drugs but disappointment, knows he is God.

A mother is swept from reality by watching the movie The Ten Commandments...and kills her firstborn daughter.

A wealthy businessman is certain that an army of dwarfs has invaded his estate.

And in a remarkable case, the author duplicates the very conditions that drove one desperate man to a terrorist attack on a train ride ... and almost plunges over the brink of paranoia himself.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0684802856
• ISBN 13: 9780684802855
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320