[ Graphics-capable, Standards compliant browser required for full graphic presentation ]

Golvan Arts Management

Literary and Artists Agency

Paul Valent

Non-Fiction Writer

Paul Valent

Paul Valent was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 1938. He survived the Holocaust in Hungary and after the war his family migrated to Australia. He became a doctor (1956-1962) and then a psychiatrist (graduated in London 1966. In 1967 in Israel, he did a major study on the effects of the Six Day War. From 1971 to 1996 he was consultant, mostly in liaison psychiatry in the emergency department at Prince Henry’s Hospital and Monash Medical Centre. In 1983 in the Ash Wednesday bushfires Dr Valent led the first Australian team to a disaster site and he became recognized as a leader in the field. In 2000, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies held its Millennial and Third World Conference in Melbourne. Dr Valent was president of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies at this huge international conference. During his presidency of the Australian Society, he was also on the executive of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Dr Valent is the author of three books. Child Survivors; Adults Living with Childhood Traumas was published by Heinemann in Melbourne in 1994 and in 2002 by Brunner/Routledge in New York in a new edition titled Child Survivors of the Holocaust.

From Survival to Fulfillment; A Framework for the Life-Trauma Dialectic (1998), and Trauma and Fulfillment Therapy; A Wholist Framework (1999) were both published by Brunner/Mazel in Philadelphia. Over the years Paul has given many talks and workshops, has been a keynote speaker at Australian and International conferences, and he has published widely. At its 2007 conference, he will be awarded a life membership of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

In 2002 Paul retired from clinical practice. During the last few years, Paul has written a number of Opinion pieces for The Age and the Herald Sun, the first immediately after 9/11, the last one after the tsunami. He has been a resource for local media (The Australian, The Age, The ABC, Herald Sun) and has been interviewed on radio (eg John Faine, Tony Delroy) and television (Bert Newton).

In Two Minds - Cover

In Two Minds, published by University Of NSW Press in July 2009, is an epic adventure story that leaves us wiser and more hopeful. It demonstrates that beyond our inner demons we can find sense, health and goodness, and that our struggles in the dark are ultimately understandable and achievable.

Written as a memoir, in this book Valent describes the journey of the struggles and discoveries in his varied career over four decades. Through the fascinating stories of his work with patients and the examination of his own life story, the author articulates and grapples with ubiquitous human issues: What is the nature of the fear of death? What is the source of moral judgements and their variability over time? How do people develop values, beliefs, religions and ideologies? Existential meanings? A sense of sacred? Purpose? What happens when things go drastically wrong? How do victims and perpetrators arrange their minds? What is the nature of irrationality, illness, and evil? How do mind, body and society interact?

Paul Valent confronts the dilemma of human nature. Is our essence substance or soul; mind or brain? Should he use drugs or words to help his patients? If words, what is the power of words? How do they reach the unconscious? And what is the unconscious? Where is it? And why is it there?

For more information see Paul Valent's web site at www.paulvalent.com.

GOLVAN ARTS MANAGEMENT   •   PO Box 766, Kew, Victoria 3101 Australia   •   golvan@ozemail.com.au