STAGE FRIGHT
If You’re Terrified To Perform
There’s An Answer

Joan Acocella’s comprehensive New Yorker piece (August 3, 2015) “I Can’t Go On!” concludes: “There seems to be no cure for stage fright.” That’s not true. For stage fright to be cured or at the very least tolerably minimized, a deeply personal understanding must be found for each person’s fears. I’m a psychoanalyst who treats…

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AMY
Finding The Real Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse tragically became the brunt of cruel jokes by comics the likes of Jay Leno. Every symptom of her psychological suffering was up for grabs: her bulimia, drug addiction, and her state of mind: “She’s like a mad person.” It’s not that simple. Amy, the sensitive, sad, and revealing documentary by Asif Kapadia, sets…

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CAMUS’S SISYPHUS
Versus WOODY ALLEN’S
IRRATIONAL MAN

Albert Camus, best known for his masterpiece novel The Stranger, wrote an entire book (believe it or not) on The Myth Of Sisyphus. Camus’s point is that Sisyphus is happy because he’s accepted his life. This is exactly what Woody Allen’s existential philosophy professor in The Irrational Man can’t find a way to do. He…

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TRAINWRECK
What Makes Amy Run?

How is a little girl destined to live her life when her father gives her this reason for leaving her Mom: “Monogamy isn’t realistic … What if that’s the only doll you’ll ever get to play with your whole life? You wouldn’t want just one doll, would you? That’s why Mom and I are getting…

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