The Pregnant Man and Other Cases From a Hypnotherapist's Couch

The Pregnant Man And Other Cases From A Hypnotherapist's Couch is a book by Deirdre Barrett published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2010. Barrett is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. The book describes seven real patients, disguised for anonymity, who Dr. Barrett treated with hypnotherapy. They are presented in chronological order, beginning when the author was a trainee, so that much information about hypnosis is woven into the stories as Barrett herself is learning. The title character is a transgender man who develops pseudocyesis, or false-pregnancy, after the death of his boyfriend. Other patients include an asthmatic with a heavy smoking habit, a wealthy aristocrat with a fear of flying, a writer who suddenly can't read, and two very different cases of multiple personality. The book concludes with a section on how interested readers can locate a reputable hypnotherapist.