Migraine

By: Oliver Sacks

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

The many manifestations of migraine can vary dramatically from one patient to another, even within the same patient at different times. Among the most compelling and perplexing of these symptoms are the strange visual hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image that migraineurs sometimes experience. Portrayals of these uncanny states have found their way into many works of art, from the heavenly visions of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice in Wonderland.

Dr. Oliver Sacks argues the migraine cannot be understood simply as an illness, but must be viewed as a complex condition with a unique role to play in each individual's life.

Cover design by Cardon Webb; author photograph © Elena Seibert; cover illustration from The Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery (2005 TASCHEN GmbH, Hohenzollernring 53, D-50672 Köln).

Download the accompanying reference guide.©1992 Oliver Sacks (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Fascinating. Author. is brilliant. A polymath . Articulate. A very compassionate & wise person. Gentle sense of humor

Fascinating. Enthralling book by a brilliant neurologist who is also deeply compassionate & wise, and an amazing polymath. Beautifully written a polymath & has. Wonderful gentle sense of humor.

Still Useful, Though Very Dense at Times

Despite its age, I found the wealth of information (including the numerous case descriptions) in this book useful to better understand and come to terms with my own migraines. It's amazing how much has changed since this was first published, but also how much hasn't. Be warned that Sacks liberally uses medical jargon that will probably not be super familiar for a non-medical reader. There were a couple of chapters that were so incredibly dense with (often antiquated) medical terminology I found them very difficult to absorb, but ironically the following information from the 1990 update regarding the suspected causes of migraine rendered those chapters somewhat obsolete and safely ignored. I'm pleased to have read this book, but very unlikely to re-read it.

Learning more about myself

I suffer from migraines that can last up to 4 months at a time. I love reading Oliver Sacks because I can tell he knows what he of talking about.

This book is very insightful. I probably have about 50 bookmarks saved for this audiobook. This book is worth its weight in gold.

the notion that this was originally written in 1970

how thoroughly researched Dr. Sacks’ views were in 1970 and it foreshadowed where we are today

Insightful

I am a migraine sufferer as well as a physician and this book gave me good insight from both sides. The presentations are so full of compassion and well written.