As Happy As I Can Stand
Charles McCormack
McCormack was asked two questions by his children that unerringly targeted issues he had struggled with his entire life: "Who are you?" and "What is life about?" Hatching Charlie, his attempt to respond, rocketed him down a wormhole through time, his past made present. He re-lives the disruptions of military family life, family violence, the racism of the Jim Crowe South, and the tidal wave of fear and confusion when exiled to a boarding school in France as a child.
With unalloyed frankness, McCormack, an award-winning psychotherapist, author, and lecturer, takes us into the mental illness in his own family, and the destructive influence of his cratered childhood upon his adulthood. During this journey, we go behind the scenes of psychiatric treatment, including a vivid portrayal of McCormack’s experience in psychoanalysis and as a psychiatric social worker in a locked-door inpatient treatment unit. There, we become engulfed in penetrating horror and self-doubt when confronted with the suicide of several patients, as well as the profound sense of fulfillment experienced when able to help those who had been unable to help themselves.
In his striving for happiness and meaning, McCormack arrives at the realization that there was an enduring block to happiness and that it resided within himself. Rejecting this self-limiting fate, he pecks away at the shells that confine him like a Russian nesting doll and discovers first-hand the hidden power of incomplete mourning to constrict happiness like English ivy strangles a tree. In this moving memoir, there is wisdom about life, love, and relationships that will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face.
Author - Charles McCormack.
Narrator - Charles McCormack.
Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023.
Copyright - © 2020 Charles C McCormack ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
McCormack was asked two questions by his children that unerringly targeted issues he had struggled with his entire life: "Who are you?" and "What is life about?" Hatching Charlie, his attempt to respond, rocketed him down a wormhole through time, his past made present. He re-lives the disruptions of military family life, family violence, the racism of the Jim Crowe South, and the tidal wave of fear and confusion when exiled to a boarding school in France as a child. With unalloyed frankness, McCormack, an award-winning psychotherapist, author, and lecturer, takes us into the mental illness in his own family, and the destructive influence of his cratered childhood upon his adulthood. During this journey, we go behind the scenes of psychiatric treatment, including a vivid portrayal of McCormack’s experience in psychoanalysis and as a psychiatric social worker in a locked-door inpatient treatment unit. There, we become engulfed in penetrating horror and self-doubt when confronted with the suicide of several patients, as well as the profound sense of fulfillment experienced when able to help those who had been unable to help themselves. In his striving for happiness and meaning, McCormack arrives at the realization that there was an enduring block to happiness and that it resided within himself. Rejecting this self-limiting fate, he pecks away at the shells that confine him like a Russian nesting doll and discovers first-hand the hidden power of incomplete mourning to constrict happiness like English ivy strangles a tree. In this moving memoir, there is wisdom about life, love, and relationships that will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face. Author - Charles McCormack. Narrator - Charles McCormack. Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023. Copyright - © 2020 Charles C McCormack ©.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:00:14
Chapter 2
Duration:00:00:08
Chapter 3
Duration:00:05:36
Chapter 4
Duration:00:14:43
Chapter 5
Duration:00:00:30
Chapter 6
Duration:00:32:16
Chapter 7
Duration:00:14:30
Chapter 8
Duration:00:07:43
Chapter 9
Duration:00:10:08
Chapter 10
Duration:00:22:30
Chapter 11
Duration:00:13:13
Chapter 12
Duration:00:00:29
Chapter 13
Duration:00:18:15
Chapter 14
Duration:00:12:47
Chapter 15
Duration:00:23:50
Chapter 16
Duration:00:22:09
Chapter 17
Duration:00:23:44
Chapter 18
Duration:00:10:11
Chapter 19
Duration:00:09:49
Chapter 20
Duration:00:06:18
Chapter 21
Duration:00:00:43
Chapter 22
Duration:00:08:08
Chapter 23
Duration:00:15:32
Chapter 24
Duration:00:08:53
Chapter 25
Duration:00:08:38
Chapter 26
Duration:00:15:03
Chapter 27
Duration:00:15:58
Chapter 28
Duration:00:01:04
Chapter 29
Duration:00:07:02
Chapter 30
Duration:00:31:51
Chapter 31
Duration:00:33:20
Chapter 32
Duration:00:10:52
Chapter 33
Duration:00:17:06
Chapter 34
Duration:00:00:19
Chapter 35
Duration:00:32:18
Chapter 36
Duration:00:10:39
Chapter 37
Duration:00:13:51
Chapter 38
Duration:00:11:28
Chapter 39
Duration:00:06:08
Chapter 40
Duration:00:27:56
Chapter 41
Duration:00:00:55
Chapter 42
Duration:00:27:34
Chapter 43
Duration:00:11:09
Chapter 44
Duration:00:10:30
Chapter 45
Duration:00:07:32
Chapter 46
Duration:00:01:01
Chapter 47
Duration:00:20:49
Chapter 48
Duration:00:09:35
Chapter 49
Duration:00:00:04