Intensive Therapy

by Jeffrey Deitz

  Writing coach and mentor William Greenleaf grounded me in the fundamentals of story telling. Every time I discuss the book, I realize how well he taught me my ABCs. Editor Beth Haddas’s deft critique led me reconceptualize and restructure the original manuscript. Teacher and friend William Zinsser, a sharp-witted literary economist, taught me to spend my adjectives and adverbs wisely. I felt Bill’s presence at the keyboard as the story was distilled into the finished product.

  No one could have championed the story better than my editor at Greenleaf Book Group, Brandy Savarese, who believed in the project from the beginning. She relentlessly shepherded the manuscript through rehearsal after rehearsal—line by line, oftentimes word by word—until it was performance-ready.

  Greenleaf Book Group designer Neil Gonzalez worked tirelessly on the book’s cover and interior layout; indeed, the entire Greenleaf organization has been a pleasure to work with.

  I would also like to thank editors Tom Connelly, Melissa Hoppert, Tara Parker Pope, and Patty Laduca at the New York Times for giving me the opportunity to publish; same for Lloyd Sedler of the Huffington Post.

  I deeply am indebted to Dr. Philip B. (Jay) Storm, Chairman of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Under Jay’s preceptorship, Dr. Anna Breckenridge came to life and I learned of the miracles CHOP performs every day to save the lives and futures of children suffering from traumatic brain injury.

  I also want to acknowledge Dr. James Krinsley, Director of the Stamford Hospital Intensive Care Unit, for his insight, and Bill Lipton, Marjorie Marlowe, and Amy Weiss for their careful reading and comments about the manuscript.

  Thanks go to former mentors and supervisors, Drs. Perry Ottenberg, George Roark, and Stanley Olinick. There will always be a special place in my heart for my training analyst, Philip J. Escoll, MD. I am also grateful to be part of the Training and Research Institute of Self Psychology (TRISP) in New York City, where it has been a privilege to teach and study.

  Finally, I want to thank my patients, whose everyday courage in the face of adversity testifies to the indomitability of the human spirit and the potential for human growth throughout every stage of life. It is a privilege to share their journeys.