The Psychological Autopsy of Elvis by William J. Ronan

In "A Psychological Autopsy of Elvis Presley," Bill Ronan has created a fascinating vortex of ideas and theories, all of which swirl around the ever-engaging life and death of Elvis Aron Presley. Ronan posits a set of psychological circumstances as the cause of Presley's death, including issues around self-image, his relationships with others, the death of his mother and twin brother, and his own feelings of detachment and "death" prior to mortality. The author then connects these circumstances to several specific case studies, suggesting ways in which the "deaths of Elvis" can be used to bring the psychological distress of others into focus.

BOOK REVIEWS

"In "A Psychological Autopsy of Elvis Presley," Bill Ronan has created a fascinating vortex of ideas and theories, all of which swirl around the ever-engaging life and death of Elvis Aron Presley.  Ronan posits a set of psychological circumstances as the cause of Presley's death, including issues around self-image, his relationships with others, the death of his mother and twin brother, and his own feelings of detachment and "death" prior to mortality.  The author then connects these circumstances to several specific case studies, suggesting ways in which the "deaths of Elvis" can be used to bring the psychological distress of others into focus.
          
Ronan does not shy away from any rhetorical device or from leaps over the intellectual chasms that typically divide fields of inquiry.  Hypnotherapy, traditional psychology, social science research techniques, biomedical ethics, and several other disciplines and avocations collide in his work, all casting light on the strange but hardly unique life of Elvis Presley. The book is a journey through original thoughts in original combinations, a journey on which neither the faint of heart nor the hidebound need embark. Even if every hypothesis ends up dismissed, the journey itself is well worth the effort."
--Dale Alan McGowan, PhD
Associate Professor of Music, College of Saint Catherine

"William James once wrote that while truths and convictions emerge from facts, they always "dip forward into facts and add to them."  These facts often reveal new truths, and the cycle repeats itself.  The "facts" of Elvis Presley's life, in Bill Ronan's intriguing  post mortem of the legendary rocker, are not true in and of themselves. In a very Jamesian way, Ronan uses an incontestable  paradigm to reveal the truths of Elvis's life -- and the root causes  of his death. In so doing, he forces the reader to consider the sheer  psychological force core beliefs play in creating and recreating  lives, and in dooming others to an early end. This is an important  study which brings scientific and humanistic disciplines to bear on  an age-old question and dissolves the arbitrary split we've made  between body and mind. It is pragmatic, highly logical, exhaustively  researched and well worth your attention.

Truths emerge from facts, but they dip forward into facts again and  add to them; which facts again create or reveal new truth (the word  is indifferent) and so on indefinitely. The 'facts' themselves  meanwhile are not true. They simply are. Truth is the function of the  beliefs that start and terminate among them.”
--Neil Ross, MA
Counseling and Psychotherapy, Principal Agent, Neil Ross Authors and Artists.

"Observing this “documentary” does add to my understanding of Medical Hypnoanalysis and informs me about how MH can be used in the trreatment of every person out there who has any kind of problem. It makes you wonder how this therapy could have helped Elvis at any and all levels of chronological growth and development as he progressed throughout hislife. MH has a place to changing the world one person at a time."
--Tom Zurkowski, MD
Psychiatrist, Batesville, AR, 72501

"The Elvis “hypothesis” analysis seems applicable on a nember of levels and toward other theories.  It is a very convincing argument for what we now know the nature of trauma – how the psychological affects the physiological, how the body then “remembers’ even if the brain and heart do not and then how these “memories” continue to “act themselves out” in behaviors – so seemingly bizarre and unexplaoinable to those atching."

"The power of an idea to change one’s heart, mind, body and behavior.  Bill’s work underlines how unawareness of this emotional numbness principle can lead to a low level of self directiedness and in Elvis’ case, a wasteful tragic death.  Excellent teaching tool."
--Kade Haviland, MA, CACII
Arapaho House, Inc, Denver Outpatient Cllinic, Denver, CO

"It was useful in understanding lots of thigs – Relatiohsips between his mother and his needs to be with her – which triggered the dead part of self.  The alive part of Elvis was seen through his miusic.  Temporarily his wife and daughter filled a need but finally his death wish to be with his mother resulted in his death."
--Marge Harmon, MSW
Private Practice, Naperville, Lombard, IL

"This was an in depth analysis of Elvis and his  PROBLEM, how he dealt with it.  It was a great demonstrastion of the Ponce de leon Syndrome and tthe Walking Zombie Syndrome as represented by Elvis’ public and private life.  It helped me understand these two diagnoses."
--Marge Bauman, RN, MS, LPC
Institute for Motivational Development, Lombard, IL

"I feel your study was very indepth.  As a documentary it could be a valuable tool for learning and understanding of the need for Medical Hypnoanalysis.  He clearly had many issues recognizable to us and could have benefited from Medical Hypnoanalysis."
--Betsy Zurkowski, RNC, Office of Tom Zurkowski, MD
Psychiatrist, Batesville, Arkansas

"I was impressed by the clarity of the diagnosis and the rich evidence carefully compiled to support the Medical Hypnoanalytic diagnosis."
-- John B Hart, DMin
Private Practice, Bristol, IN, 46507

"This was a phenomenal observation.  Accumulated over a period of years.  Bill has done an outstanding job of matching the Medical Hypnoanalytic process to a reqaal and very public figure.  One wishes if only Elvis could have been introduced to this modality he might still be with us sharing the gift of his music.  Therapy under Medical hypnoanalysis is an art.  It produces a deep statement from the client with profound change in a short period of time."
--Sanded Hobsm, MS
Counseling (in process), Memphis, TN

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