Nature Heals: The Psychological Essays of Paul Goodman

Paul Goodman was one of the founders and major theoreticians of Gestalt therapy, as well as a practicing psychotherapist for many years. He constantly sought to understand the nature of our selves and our society. "Our misery seems so ingrained that it calls for an explanation from our essential natures." "Nature Heals" contains Goodman's most Important writings on psychology, including his critiques of Sigmund Freud and Wilhelm Reich, his discussions of aggression, racism, sex, ethics and other areas of modern psychopathology. Of particular Interest is his appraisal of the special problems of writers, and his notes on his own self-analysis. This book stands alone as perceptive psychological writing. These essays also help us understand the underpinnings of Goodman's political and literary visions. The pieces - some of them published here for the first time - have been selected and introduced by Taylor Stoehr, Goodman's biographer and one of his literary executors.