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The Man Who Lost His Head

On Illusions and Delusions of the Mind

Blending neuroscience and ruminations on the creation and limits of reality, a remarkable investigation of disorders of the mind—and how we experience them.
 
In The Man Who Lost His Head, Douwe Draaisma explores some of the most bizarre and intriguing brain disorders throughout history. From patients who believe their loved ones have been replaced by doubles or who feel an arm stretched out sideways that was amputated years ago to those who insist they’re dead or have had their heads replaced, these cases reveal the mind’s complex way of imposing order amid chaos. Draaisma examines syndromes like Cotard’s and Capgras, where sufferers’ perceptions of self and reality are radically altered, linking delusions to specific brain circuits and cultural context. With engaging storytelling and sharp insights, he offers a captivating look at the human mind’s remarkable and often mysterious workings.

208 pages | 15 halftones | 5.43 x 8.5 | © 2025


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Reviews

“Engaging and informative. The strength of this book is in introducing the reader to rare, largely unknown, and fascinating features of mental life. A page-turner.”

Walter A. Brown, clinical professor emeritus of psychiatry and human behavior, Brown University, and author of “Lithium: A Doctor, a Drug, and a Breakthrough”

“From the guillotine to the psychiatric clinic, Draaisma takes us on a journey that reveals the stubborn ways in which so many humans persist in seeing only the cold logic of rationality when reality is in fact far from intelligible and full of curious experiences undergone by remarkable people. The Man Who Lost His Head contains page after page of profound insights. It’s impossible to put down.”

Michael S. Gazzaniga, director of the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of “Who’s in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain”

"Draaisma is one of our most erudite and eloquent of guides to the complexities of mind and brain. His new book takes the reader on a captivating journey into the many ways in which people come to perceive and believe in realities that others do not share."

Charles Fernyhough, director of the Centre for Research into Inner Experience and professor of psychology, Durham University, and author of "Pieces of Light: The New Science of Memory"

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