RICH, Harvey L. 1944-

PERSONAL:

Born 1944; married. Education: Attended Georgetown University Medical School.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Washington, DC, and Paris, France. Office—c/o American Psychoanalytic Foundation, 9 Breakers Island, Dana Point, CA 92629. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Psychoanalyst and author. Clinical psychiatrist/psychoanalyst in private practice in Washington, DC, beginning c. 1970. American Psychoanalytic Foundation, founder and former president; cofounder of Coalition for Patients' Rights. Former faculty member, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Consultant to World Bank. Teacher and lecturer, appearing at schools and on National Public Radio.

MEMBER:

American Psychiatric Association, American Psychoanalytic Association.

WRITINGS:

(With Teresa H. Barker) In the Moment: Celebrating the Everyday, Morrow (New York, NY), 2002, published as In the Moment: Embracing the Fullness of Life, Morrow (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor to Washington Post.

SIDELIGHTS:

Psychoanalyst Harvey L. Rich, M.D. has seen the effects of the fast pace of modern life through his work as a clinical psychiatrist in private practice. After thirty years treating patients in the Washington, D.C., area, Rich decided to deal with what he saw as a growing problem on a more-than-one-to-one basis. Together with Teresa H. Barker, he has authored In the Moment: Celebrating the Everyday as a way of helping people truly experience the emotional, spiritual, and physical facets of events that would otherwise be forgotten as meaningless. Drawing on his own life, his reflections on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as his expertise as a professional, Rich maintains that "celebrating life's moments is an important antidote to what is poisoning our very humanity." While disagreeing with some of Rich's points, a Publishers Weekly contributor nonetheless praised In the Moment as a book that, through a philosophy that "has its merit" and examples that "are appropriate," can help readers looking for meaning "gain new perspective." In a Library Journal review, Douglas C. Lord commended Rich's effort as "genuine" and "heartfelt".

As Rich noted in an interview with Mike Carruthers for Something You Should Know, truly experiencing such things as minor achievements, the pain of a loss, or a serious conversation with a friend or family member are among the things people live through without truly understanding or appreciating their significance. "We are rushing past the little moments," he explained to Carruthers, "and we're losing the texture of life. It's those little moments [shared with others that give] …texture to our lives."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, January, 2003, Douglas C. Lord, review of In the Moment: Celebrating the Everyday, p. 137.

Publishers Weekly, September 16, 2002, review of In the Moment, p. 56.

ONLINE

Harvey L. Rich Home Page,http://www.harveyrich.com (October 16, 2003).

Something You Should Know Web site,http://www.somethingyoushouldknow.net/ (January 23, 2003), Mike Carruthers, transcript of radio interview with Rich.*