From the Edge of the Couch

But could these phenomena in fact arise from our most disturbing dreams?In the tradition of Oliver Sacks's bestselling book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Dr Raj Persaud uses authentic case studies to explain current thinking on brain function and emotional disorders. In one case, a man could get his sexual kicks only by being crushed in garbage trucks, while another took erotic pleasure from sneezing. One man made love to his furniture; another had sex with his car. A film fan embedded dozens of needles into his body in order to become like a robot he had seen at the cinema, and a plane hijacker believed he was taking part in a video game.Through his analysis of these and other conditions, such as Alien Hand Syndrome -where sufferers conclude that one of their own limbs is out to kill them -Multiple Personality Disorder, Erotomania and the Capgras Delusion- where victims believe those close to them have been replaced by imposters -Dr Persaud suggests that we may not have as much free will and control over our bodies as we delusionally believe.Fascinating, illuminating and complete with absorbing real-life case studies, From the Edge of the Couch reveals how scientists still struggle to understand the outer limits of the mind. Even more provocatively, Dr Persaud argues that despite the medical profession's current love affair with the technology of the latest body scanners, it is still the extraordinary clinical cases that offer the ultimate insight into how the brain produces consciousness.In throwing open the usually secret world of the psychiatrist's casebook, Dr Raj Persaud proves that fact really is much stranger than fiction