Rebel Without a Cause

This volume follows the successful analysis and hypnosis of a criminal psychopath, Harold. In full transcriptions of their 46 sessions, Lindner takes his patient into the depths and recesses of his childhood memories. Plumbing the free-associative monologues for clues to unlock the causes of Harold's criminal behaviour, Lindner portrays a man cut off from himself and unable to attach to others. Following the threads uncovered in the sessions, Lindner reveals to Harold long-hidden incidents from his infancy and childhood that served to propel him toward a troubled and chaotic adulthood, full of armed robbery, break-ins and random sexual encounters. With care and diligence, patient and analyst begin to excavate events from Harold's childhood and reconstruct them as a foundation for analysis, allowing Harold to confront his demons.