The Courage To Survive
“The Courage To Survive, Facing the Loss Of Your Soul Mate” is a video describing a wall street banker’s life journey after his wife was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.The video details the personal challenges facing Robert the parent of three children and his psychotherapeutic experiences with Norman Straker MD, psychoanalyst, psychiatric consultant at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and clinical professor psychiatry at Weill Cornell. This moving story documents the importance of an analytical informed psychotherapy in confronting terminal illness, preparing spouses and children for the death of their wife, mother and demonstrates how therapists can help their patients cope with loss, facilitate grieving, and mourning and finally promote recovery.
Click Here to Read:Â A Longer Description of Norman Straker’s Video
June 11th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Comment from Judith S. Schachter
Dr. Straker has been a thoughtful and humane voice in a field that few psychoanalysts choose to study; helping in the emotional currents created by death and dying. We all, I assume, have had patients who are dying or whose spouse or close relative is dying of an illness over time. This video presents us with a religious man in the prime of life, whose loves and even idealizes his wife who is dying of pancreatic cancer- a sure killer. He comes for therapy because he is so destabilized that he is in a panic and he continues because he finds his analyst so helpful throughout the next probably four to five years.
The decision on the part of psychoanalyst and patient to create this video is a significant step in the patient’s recovery from his grief. He is seen bringing his articulate, constructive and sometime less-so criticisms to an audience of oncologists.
This is a video we can all view with the recognition that immersion has led Dr. Straker to be a unique voice for good patient care and also for our profession.
Judith S. Schachter,MD
June 16th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Dr. Straeker made a very important contribution in his work with cancer patients’ loved ones. I strongly recommend that all mental health workers view his work. Thank you.
Jane S. Hall