Presents of mind

The holiday season is a time of goodwill, fellowship--and stressing out overselecting the perfect presents for everyone. If you're having trouble coming up with something for that friend or family member who hangs out in bookstore self-help sections, consider these psychologically oriented finds:

Did Sigmund Freud ever serve food during therapy sessions? Which U.S. president did he psychoanalyze? Find the answers in After-Dinner Freud, a set of 100 "parlor cards" that will truly test your Freudian I.Q. There's no game board or playing pieces--Siggy wouldn't have approved of such a trivial pursuit--so the fun's in quizzing your friends. ($12.95 from Viking, 1-800-253-6476.)

Illusions, on the other hand, is a traditional board game--or so it appears. The challenge here is predicting what your opponent will see in a series of 66 optical illusions, all chosen by psychologist J. Richard Block, Ph.D. Is that a drawing of a man's face--or a yawning rat? You be the judge. ($35.45 from Y&B Associates, Inc., 33 Primrose Lane, Hempstead, NY 11550.)

Who can resist an in-depth computer analysis of their personality? The Insight Game, a self-proclaimed "psychologist on a disk," provides a detailed description of your leadership style, work habits, and romantic needs. While modestly billed as a game, the program bases its analyses on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality classification system used by many therapists. ($89.95 from the Leadership Dimension, 502-473-1931.)

Finally, the ultimate stress relief: circling the globe in a 55-foot sailboat. If you've got 14 months to kill, a French firm called East-West will chauffeur you and 13 other sightseers around the world in 425 days. Scuba dive, sunbathe, spend an entire year wondering if you turned off the oven. Price: $66,000. (Call East-West at 011-33-153-891333.)

PHOTO (COLOR): Use your Illusions: this game shows you how.

Tags: briggs type indicator, game board, games, myers briggs type, myers briggs type indicator, optical illusions, photo color, Sigmund Freud, stress relief, therapy sessions