Paul Valent

OAM, MBBS, DPM, FRANZCP
Consultant liaison psychiatrist, psychotherapist, traumatologist, Co-founder and past President Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and Child Survivors of the Holocaust, Writer.

War: A psychoanalytic concern? Bull Aust Psychoanal Soc. 27-44 First presented at the Psychoanalytic Conference in Melbourne

Psychoanalytic conceptualisations of war are summarised. However, the psychoanalytic stance must be broadened and applied to observations of real conflicts. My own observations led me to believe that people respond from survival needs even if objectively they appear to be irrational. Knowledge of perceived survival needs and survival strategies that deal with them may be steps in elucidating the apparent madness of wars.
Download: View Document

Child Survivors of the Holocaust

In this book, ten child survivors of the Second World War, of different ages, from different countries, and with varied experiences, tell their stories.

From Survival to Fulfillment

When survival or fulfilment are threatened, people manifest a great variety of responses and consequences. They range from basic instincts to the most sublime aspects of life.

Trauma and Fulfillment Therapy

This book follows logically From Survival to Fulfillment, in its practical applicability to diagnose and repair tears in the human fabric.

In Two Minds; Tales of a Psychotherapist

Paul Valent, retired medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychotherapist and traumatologist, describes the struggles and discoveries in his varied four-decade career. Each chapter offers a glimpse into different psychotherapeutic encounters

Heart of Violence: Why People Harm Each Other

Violence is the plague of our civilization. Its many tentacles – domestic violence, criminal violence, sexual abuse, terrorism, state violence, revolution, war and genocide threaten us daily.

Mental Health in the Times of the Pandemic

The pandemic threw our world up in the air. We deal with the immediacy of survival. We try to orientate ourselves, but our minds are in a fog. We are captured by many feelings and sensations

Know Thyself: Our Hidden Selves in a Precarious World

After surviving the Holocaust, a little boy makes a pledge. He will understand war so it is not repeated. So begins Paul Valent’s life’s work, an investigation into the reasons why humans, who can love and care for each other, too often hate and hurt each other.

Share this page