Psychoanalytical and Freudian psychology Books

Book SynopsisThis book consists of a dialogue between a young psychoanalyst, Luca Nicoli, and a renowned teaching analyst, Antonino Ferro. It touches upon many of the key areas of contemporary psychoanalysis: setting, technique, theory, as well as post-Bionian models and the 'BFT' - the famous Bionian Field Theory devised by Ferro.Using a friendly informal style, Ferro and his colleague Nicoli challenge the certainties of orthodoxy, leading the discourse toward the unknown and the as yet undiscovered. Both young and experienced analysts will find not only practical advice in this book, but also challenges to their own theoretical and emotional assumptions in the unexplored, ever-changing encounter with the patient. Reading this guide is guaranteed to make them reassess their working methods.Trade Review'The New Analyst's Guide to the Galaxy is perhaps the most engaging, intelligent, refreshingly irreverent, witty discussion of psychoanalytic theory and practice that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The conversation between Nicoli, a relatively new analyst, and Ferro, one of the most highly regarded analysts of our time, moves gracefully between "everyday" clinical matters, such as the analyst's cancellation policy, and large theoretical matters such as the diminishing importance of Freud's work to contemporary analytic thinking and technique. This book is a gem that should not be missed by any analyst, regardless of the number of years he or she has been in practice.'- Thomas H. Ogden, author of Reclaiming Unlived Life: Experiences in Psychoanalysis'I found this guided tour through the celestial realms of contemporary psychoanalysis difficult to put down. The questions posed by Luca Nicoli to Antonino Ferro, the reader's tour guide, lead directly to the cutting-edge controversies in our field - the relevance of Freud, the contribution of Bion, field theory, frequency of sessions, differences between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, the use of the couch, to name only a few. Ferro's brilliant and innovative thinking illuminates these topics in a way that will stimulate readers to re-consider their own views. Each reader will want to join in the dialogue with Ferro and Nicoli. While the book is designed for the "new" analyst, experienced colleagues will find it just as rewarding.'-Glen O. Gabbard, MD, author of Love and Hate in the Analytic Setting'It is always a pleasure and a source of inspiration to read the many books of Antonino Ferro. This time, however, to use one of his many metaphors, he serves us, jointly with his intelligent young colleague Luca Nicoli, a different and particularly delicious dish. They allow us to participate in a conversation in which Ferro candidly opens his views on psychoanalysis and mainly on his creative and original way of being an analyst. This book makes it clearer why he is one of the very few real innovators of psychoanalysis in our time. I strongly recommend The New Analyst's Guide to the Galaxy to all those readers who look for fresh and stimulating air in our centennial science and art.'-Claudio Laks Eizirik, past president of the International Psychoanalytical AssociationTable of ContentsIntroduction -- Identity -- The rules of the game -- Beginnings -- Matters of theory -- The road from Freud to Bion -- Travelling light -- The analytic field -- Technical issues -- Dreaming -- Meetings

Read more less

Book SynopsisEveryone knows the characters described by Freud in his case histories: 'Dora', the 'Rat Man', the 'Wolf Man'. But what do we know of the people, the lives behind these famous pseudonyms: Ida Bauer, Ernst Lanzer, Sergius Pankejeff? Do we know the circumstances that led them to Freud's consulting-room, or how they fared - how they really fared - following their treatments? And what of those patients about whom Freud wrote nothing, or very little: Pauline Silberstein, who threw herself from the fourth floor of her analyst's building; Elfriede Hirschfeld, Freud's 'grand-patient' and 'chief tormentor'; the fashionable architect Karl Mayreder; the psychotic millionaire Carl Liebmann; and so many others? In an absorbing sequence of portraits, Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen offers the stories of these men and women - some comic, many tragic, all of them deeply moving. In total, thirty-eight lives tell us as much about Freud's clinical practice as his celebrated case studies, revealing too a darker and more complex Freud than is usually portrayed: the doctor as his patients, their friends and their families saw him.Trade Review“Freud’s Patients brings new scrutiny to the methods used by Freud with the patients he treated, including his own daughter, Anna. Not least, the book illustrates through the fates of those under Freud’s care that his treatments may not only have been ineffective, but at times utterly destructive. Borch-Jacobsen, one of the world’s great Freud scholars, has done a masterful job in allowing readers to peek behind the curtain and sample the real lives of these illustrious patients.” -- Elizabeth F. Loftus, Distinguished Professor, Stanford University, author of “Eyewitness Testimony” coauthor of “The Myth of Repressed Memory”“Freud’s Patients features thirty-eight historical portraits, but the picture which emerges is a strikingly true-to-life one of Freud himself, drawn by his subjects, their friends and families, and framed in this beautifully presented collection. Freud’s case histories have been compared to fiction from the beginning—not least by their author himself. Freud’s Patients separates the fact from the fiction with stunning and sobering effect and makes this book a must-read for anyone who wants to know the truth about these cases. It is a landmark publication which reveals the truth so often obscured in the case histories. The result is a riveting read which is not just better informed but much more interesting than Freud’s fiction. You couldn’t make it up!” -- Christopher Badcock, author of “The Imprinted Brain”

Read more less

Book SynopsisHowever much his work has been reviled or contested, Sigmund Freud remains one of the most significant thinkers of the last 150 years. He founded psychoanalysis, and his vision of human behaviour and the unconscious mind has provided a compelling paradigm for understanding society for much of the twentieth century. In this gripping new account, Matt ffytche draws on the latest research into Freud’s impact and historical context, making the case for his continuing relevance in analysing the vagaries, resistances and desires of the human mind. Engaging and accessible, Sigmund Freud appeals to both students and the general reader, as well as anyone engaged with mental health, dreams and the hidden depths of human experience.Trade Review'I am an admirer of Matt fyttche’s work – he is an excellent historian who has contributed a great deal to the understanding of the origins and development of psychoanalysis. This book is characteristically accurate and reliable and so will be useful for readers wanting to get a broad understanding of Freud’s ideas and some sense of what they might continue to offer to contemporary thought.' – Stephen Frosh, Professor of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London

Read more less

Book SynopsisSocial isolation and loneliness are increasingly being recognised as a priority public health problem and policy issue worldwide, with the effect on mortality comparable to risk-factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity. From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude sheds much-needed light on a multifaceted global phenomenon of loneliness, and investigates it, together with its counterpart solitude, from an exciting breadth of perspectives: detailed studies of psychoanalytic approaches to loneliness, developmental psychology, philosophy, culture, arts, music, literature, and neuroscience. The subjects covered also range widely, including the history and origins of loneliness, its effects on children, the creative process, health, lone wolf terrorism, and shame. This is a timely and important contribution to a growing problem – greatly exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic – that has serious effects on both life quality and expectancy. The book features contributions from a diverse host of leading international experts: Dominic Angeloch, Patrizia Arfelli, Charles Ashbach, Manfred E. Beutel, Elmar Brähler, Jagna Brudzińska, Michael B. Buchholz, Lesley Caldwell, Karin Dannecker, Aleksandar Dimitrejević, Mareike Ernst, Jay Frankel, Gail A. Hornstein, Colum Kenny, Eva M. Klein, Helga de la Motte-Haber, Gamze Özçürümez Bilgili, Inge Seiffge-Krenke, and Peter Shabad. The contributors address the developmental and communicative causes of loneliness, its neurophysiological correlates and artistic representations, and how loneliness differs to solitude, which some consider necessary for creativity. They also provide insights into how we can help those suffering from loneliness, as classical psychoanalytic papers are revisited, contemporary therapeutic perspectives presented, and detailed case presentations offered. From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude is essential reading for mental health professionals and those searching for a better understanding of what it means to be lonely and how the lonely can better voice their loneliness and step out of it.Trade Review‘The most intelligently planned and accomplished book of essays on a topic I have encountered—either in the field of psychology or the humanities—this is a work for everyone and deserves a broad readership. Comprehensive and creative, this study of loneliness and solitude is a treasure-house of ideas and a “must read”.’ -- Christopher Bollas, author of The Shadow of the Object‘What a necessary and welcome book during these challenging times! As an artist, I particularly enjoyed the perspectives proposing that places of loneliness relate to physical spaces which can be a counterpart for creativity and cure against loneliness.’ -- Jane McAdam Freud, artist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors‘This book shows us why psychoanalysis exists and reminds us that it is indispensable. How else are we to understand such profoundly important things?’ -- Professor Mark Solms, Research Chair, International Psychoanalytical Association‘This is a remarkable book in bringing together such a wide range of subtle, scholarly, and eloquent accounts of solitude and loneliness. The 2020s is a time of flourishing for research on aloneness, and this is a superb psychoanalytic framing of the many disciplines and cultures – religious, artistic, clinical, social and political – of the positive and negative varieties and meanings of being alone. Alive to the historical, literary, and musical expressions of solitude, and with detailed accounts of therapeutic encounters, From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude will provide excellent dialogic company for clinicians and for all interested in aloneness.’ -- Professor Julian Stern, President of the International Society for Research on Solitude, co-editor of the Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness‘Highlighting the pervasive presence of painful loneliness and a comparable absence of contemplative solitude in our modern society, Aleksandar Dimitrijević and Michael B. Buchholz offer us a multifaceted text on these important human experiences. They have enlisted a roster of distinguished international colleagues who, together with the two editors themselves, elucidate various aspects of loneliness in adults and children, deploying the perspectives of epidemiology, neurology, child developmental studies, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis. The result is a nuanced tapestry of thought that underscores the tragedy of psychic isolation as well as the triumph of regenerative retreat from the cacophony of constant interaction. This is a superb addition to our literature!’ -- Salman Akhtar, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, Training and Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia‘[B]oth necessary and deeply engaging. […] Though common themes run throughout and there is much agreement across all chapters and authors, each chapter nevertheless offers a unique contribution to the volume. This timely and accessible work is highly recommended for students of psychology, seasoned practitioners, or just curious readers trying to make sense of the paradoxes of modern life.’ -- G. Seror III, Dickinson State University, 'CHOICE' May 2023'splendid book [...] [The authors] engage the reader in a vast and articulate journey around the places of solitude and loneliness ranging from world history to the analyst’s consulting room, without disconnecting it from the quest for a silent empty space in which the sound of being resonates.' -- Carlo Bonomi, PhD, 'The American Journal of Psychoanalysis', 2023'Taken together, the chapters, without claiming completeness, help the reader to capture the complexity of the experiences of loneliness and solitude, as well as those in between. The approach of the book in using multiple perspectives, combined with a consistently clinical psychoanalytic lens, distinguishes it from most references on the topic, which typically examine these multifaceted phenomena from a single perspective. From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude: Cultural, Social and Psychoanalytic Perspectives is an outstanding work that deserves to be considered as a go-to resource on loneliness and solitude for psychoanalytically oriented clinicians, researchers, and scholars, as well as for lay people interested in the topic. More generally, the themes of this book deserve to be the subject of open, informed, and public discussion to enable society to address them appropriately.' -- Alberto Stefana, 'International Forum of Psychoanalysis', 2023Table of ContentsAcknowledgments About the editors and contributors Introduction Part I: Philosophy and culture Introduction to Part I 1.The hidden sociality of the solitary subject. Phenomenological and psychoanalytical reflections on loneliness Jagna Brudzińska 2. ‘And live alone in the bee-loud glade’? Asceticism and the construction of solitude Colum Kenny 3.Lone wolves’ loneliness – about a special variant of terrorism Michael B. Buchholz 4. History of private self and solitude Aleksandar Dimitrijević Part II: Art and literature Introduction to Part II 5. Musical facet of loneliness Helga de la Motte-Haber 6. Myth of the solitary artist Aleksandar Dimitrijević 7. The lonely house Karin Dannecker 8. Seven kinds of loneliness. Psychic pain in David Rabe’s play Hurlyburly Dominic Angeloch Part III: Developmental psychology and health Introduction to Part III 9. The dual function of loneliness: a developmental perspective Inge Seiffge-Krenke 10. Loneliness and insecure attachment Aleksandar Dimitrijević 11. Epidemiology of loneliness Eva M. Klein, Mareike Ernst, Manfred E. Beutel, and Elmar Brähler 12. Loneliness and health Gamze Özçürümez Bilgili 13. Loneliness and the brain Gamze Özçürümez Bilgili Part IV: Psychoanalysis Introduction to Part IV 14. Loneliness in child analysis cases Patrizia Arfelli 15. Landscapes of loneliness: engaging with Frieda Fromm-Reichmann’s pioneering work Gail Hornstein 16. Through the prism of being alone. A further dialogue between Donald Winnicott and Melanie Klein Lesley Caldwell 17. Traumatic aloneness in children with narcissistically preoccupied parents Jay Frankel 18. The clinical rncounter with the lonely patient: Trauma and the Empty Self Charles Ashbach 19. Shame and its cover-up: the self-enclosed prison of isolation Peter Shabad 20. Strengthening the human bond – Doing we is more important than “intervention” Michael B. Buchholz Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith contributions from Anne Alvarez, Joshua Durban, Jeffrey L. Eaton, Bernard Golse, Didier Houzel, Howard B. Levine, Suzanne Maiello, Sylvain Missonnier, Bernd Nissen, Marganit Ofer, and Jani Santamaría. The capacity to create psychic representations is now understood to be a developmental achievement. Without it, meaning cannot be ascertained and this can lead to “psychic voids” and “unrepresented states”, which can contribute to the development of autism and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Unrepresented states are also implicated and encountered in other, non-autistic, non-neurotic conditions, such as psychosomatic disorders, addictions, perversions, and primitive character disorders. The affects that unrepresented states produce or are associated with are often those of terror, emptiness, annihilation and despair. The organisation of the psyche consists of psychotic – i.e. unstructured – as well as neurotic parts of the mind; unintegrated as well as integrated areas; and unrepresented areas with little meaning as well as represented states consisting of specific ideas imbued with affect. Given this organisation, we should expect to find both an unstructured and a dynamic unconscious in all patients. This implies that, to some degree, unrepresented and unintegrated states are universal and will exist and be encountered in all of us. Consequently, the opportunities and challenges presented by the understanding and treatment of autism and ASD, where the unrepresented and its consequences (e.g. defensive organisations employed to protect against annihilation anxiety and catastrophic dread) can be encountered may offer us metaphors and clues relevant to aspects of the treatment of all patients, no matter what their dominant diagnoses may be. Packed with theory and helpful case studies, this carefully edited collection from an international array of experts in the field is essential reading for all practising clinicians.Trade Review‘Howard Levine and Jani Santamaría have gathered a group of highly gifted and skilled clinicians who have delved into the depths of the most primitive anxieties, and have dwelt there long enough, with their patients, in order to find meaning in apparently unintelligible modes of living. The result is a sensitive, compelling book that reaches far beyond autistic states of mind, into the very core of the hidden and ineffable realms of human experience.’ -- Avner Bergstein, Israel Psychoanalytic Society, author of Bion and Meltzer's Expeditions into Unmapped Mental Life‘This is a deeply thoughtful, accessible account of developments in psychoanalytic thinking from Freud to the present day, richly elaborated in the chapters contributed by some of the leading thinkers in the field. However, this book is not only for those interested specifically in autism, as the exploration of adaptations of technique has relevance to all clinicians challenged by how to reach patients whose treatments do not conform to the expectations of classical analysis.’ -- Susan Reid, Consultant Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychotherapist and founder of the Tavistock Autism and Clinical Research Workshop‘In tribute to the creative and seminal work of Francis Tustin, this superbly edited book takes the reader into the new terrain of unrepresented states, autistic objects, black holes and many other phenomena particular to the non-neurotic patients now presenting to analysts. All clinicians, especially those working with children, will benefit from reading this book.’ -- Jack Novick, PhD, president elect of the Association for Child Psychoanalysis and author of Freedom to Choose'It was exciting to read about brand new ideas, concepts and insights, as well as enjoying the elegance of the prose that encapsulated the unique autistic experience of each case study and prised open its inner workings. [...] I was left feeling great admiration for those doing this work and great hope for their clients.' -- Nick Campion, 'Therapy Today', 34:7, 2023'This rich and thought-full book has interesting but abstract and necessarily speculative descriptions of highly complex concepts. [...] I found it helpful to have descriptions of actual clinical work carried out, with some positive references — as in chapter five above and in chapter seven below — to joint and brief therapies.' -- Alexandra Maeja Raicar CunninghamTable of ContentsAbout the editors and contributors Foreword CHAPTER ONE: Making the unthinkable thinkable: vitalisation, reclamation, containment, and representation Howard B. Levine CHAPTER TWO: Finding the wavelength: tools in communication with children with autism Anne Alvarez CHAPTER THREE: From chaos to Caravaggio: technical considerations in the psychoanalysis of autisto-psychotic states in relation to sensory-perceptual fragmentation Joshua Durban CHAPTER FOUR: The birth of emotional experience under the sea: a clinical case Jani Santamaría CHAPTER FIVE: The third topography: a topography of the bond, a perinatal topography Sylvain Missonnier and Bernard Golse CHAPTER SIX: Infantile autism: A pathology of otherness Didier Houzel CHAPTER SEVEN: Multi–two-dimensional: on autistic thinking Marganit Ofer CHAPTER EIGHT: From screaming to dreaming: notes on anxiety and its transformation Jeffrey L. Eaton CHAPTER NINE: A “felt-self”: aspects of symbolising through psychotherapy Jeffrey L. Eaton CHAPTER TEN: The mute voice: autistic enclaves and transgenerational transmission Suzanne Maiello CHAPTER ELEVEN: From nothing to being? Technical considerations for dealing with unrepresented states Bernd Nissen Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis edited collection gathers together erudite and considered contributions from Salman Akhtar, Cobi Avshalom, Brett Clarke, Mali Mann, Gila Ofer, Thomas Ogden, Louis Rothschild, Batya Shoshani, Michael Shoshani, Naama Shoshani-Breda, Ann Smolen, Donald Spence, Richard Waugaman, Thomas Wolman, and Vamık D. Volkan. Fifteen distinguished authors bring together their vast experience as psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, social workers, and psychotherapists to present a nuanced and in-depth investigation into the concept of truth. Divided into five parts, the book begins with a thoughtful discussion from Brett Clarke on what truth means and its role in psychoanalysis. It then moves into the realm of development, looking at truth from the viewpoint of children, adolescents, and adults. Stepping from development to culture, the works of Shakespeare, Heidegger and Freud are brought into the debate alongside the relationship of truth with individual and large-group psychology. Next come four chapters taking ‘truth’ into the clinical realm, grounding theory in practice. The book is brought to completion by an epilogue from Louis Rothschild answering the vital question: ‘Truly, what does all this mean?’ A must-read book for practising clinicians and academics in the mental health and humanities fields that investigates the wide range of theories on truth, how they have changed over the years, and their practical applications.Trade ReviewBion said that the psyche needs truth to grow the way the body needs alimentation. But what is truth in psychoanalysis? To whom does it belong and by what means do we come to know it? Is truth found? Created? Given the ineffable quality of psychic reality, the determination of what is true in the clinical situation is complex and can be very elusive. Both analyst and patient are inevitably confronted with the “essential, constitutive tension at the heart of [psychoanalytic] theory” and must mediate “between a language of force and energy, on the one hand, and a language of reasons, intentions, and meanings, on the other.” This wide-ranging volume offers readers at all levels of analytic experience an encyclopedic and authoritative exploration of the problematics of truth that should prove essential for the continued development of our psychoanalytic theories and clinical models as we move forward into the twenty-first century. -- Howard B. Levine, MD Editor-in-Chief, The Routledge Wilfred R. Bion Studies Book Series, and co-editor of 'Autistic Phenomena and Unrepresented States: Explorations in the Emergence of Self'Truth has always been at the heart of psychoanalysis. But given its enigmatic nature and its location in the land of ghostly schemata, can we really arrive at it? What is “manufactured” truth and how is it to be thought of in the clinic where “narrative,” “historical,” and “poetic” truth jostle against each other? Here is a moving homage to this vexing subject by Salman Akhtar, who creates a prismatic meditation by weaving together essays that are as wide-ranging as they are lively and profound. -- Nilofer Kaul, PhD Training and Supervising Analyst, New Delhi, India, and author of 'Plato’s Ghost: Minus Links and Liminality in Psychoanalytic Practice'As Salman Akhtar points out in this volume, the notion of “truth” is something we tend to take for granted, but is in fact an ill-defined concept when one tries to pin it down. This volume brings together a number of distinguished psychoanalytic authors who challenge us to reassess our notions of truth, both within psychoanalysis and beyond. In this age of “alternative facts,” such a volume is sorely needed and will be of interest not only to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, but to those coming from the humanities as well. -- Dimitris J. Jackson, Training Analyst and Member, Hellenic Psychoanalytical Society, Representative, Europe Region, International Psychoanalytical AssociationTable of ContentsAcknowledgments About the editor and contributors Introduction Prologue 1. The meaning of ‘truth’ and the truth about ‘meaning’ in psychoanalysis Brett Clarke Part I: Developmental Realm 2. Children and truth Mali Mann 3. The search for truth in adolescent rebellion Ann Smolen 4. Truth in later life Thomas Wolman Part II: Cultural Realm 5. “Nothing is Truer than Truth” and Shakespeare Richard Waugaman 6. Explorations into truth, anxiety, and death by Heidegger and Freud Michael Shoshani, Batya Shoshani, and Naama Shoshani-Breda 7. Finding the truth in individual and large group psychology Vamık D. Volkan Part III: Clinical Realm 8. Narrative truth and theoretical truth Donald Spence 9. What is true and whose idea was it? Thomas Ogden 10. Truth heals, if one can tolerate it Cobi Avshalom and Gila Ofer 11. Seven types of truth and their clinical relevance Salman Akhtar Epilogue 12. Truly, what does all this mean? Louis Rothschild References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1984 the Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC) was established as a direct outcome of the work of Albert Mason, Wilfred Bion, and the visiting analysts who influenced the thinking and practice of receptive Los Angeles analysts of the day. Contemporary Object Relations in Los Angeles reflects the work of current PCC analysts who have carried forward the Kleinian tradition in a variety of ways. They form a tribute to Dr Albert Mason and his influence on the development of post-Kleinian and Bionian thinking in the United States. The contributions reflect a wide range of interests and ways of exploring current psychoanalytic thought. They include a comparison of the concepts of Winnicott, Klein, and Bion; an account of the application of infant observation; a description of the gradual dismantling of a patient’s manic personality organization; detailed accounts of individual analyses: the journey from psychotherapy to a full analytic treatment; the musical aspects of communication between analyst and patient; and the history, meaning, and current perspective of interpretation in analysis. This lively collection will enhance the practice of clinicians and inspire trainees on their own clinical journey.Trade Review‘In her first book, London Kleinians in Los Angeles: Laying the Foundations of Object Relations Theory and Practice, Jennifer Langham introduces the reader to the profound influence these British analysts brought to Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, as a companion piece to the first volume, Langham acquaints us with the next generation of talented psychoanalysts. In this work, we see the unfolding and further rich development of the originators’ ideas in chapters written by Joseph Aguayo, Annie Reiner, Bernard Malin, and others. This book is an invaluable resource for those readers interested in the development of object relations theory and its application to clinical work, and I highly recommend Contemporary Object Relations in Los Angeles to clinical psychologists, psychoanalysts, and other clinicians at all levels of training.’ -- Lawrence J. Brown, author, Transformational Processes in Clinical Psychoanalysis and On Freud’s Moses and Monotheism‘While the migration of Kleinian analysts to Los Angeles in 1968 sparked conflict and controversy, it also foreshadowed the current movement in America towards internationalisation of psychoanalytic thinking and dialogue and planted the seeds of interest and understanding that have resulted in the contributions of the Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC). Led and inspired by Wilfred Bion and Albert Mason, the latter to whom this book is dedicated, the analysts of PCC have absorbed, integrated, and enlarged the traditions of British Object Relations thinking. This book successfully illustrates the editor’s contention that PCC stands as “a vibrant centre of psychoanalytic learning and training with a continued focus on the work of Klein, Bion, Winnicott, … [and] a special emphasis on the understanding of primitive mental states”. It should prove of value and interest to analysts and analytic therapists at all levels of experience.’ -- Howard B. Levine, editor-in-chief, The Routledge Wilfred R. Bion Studies Book Series‘This far-reaching collection of essays, most original for the book, presents a spectrum of American Kleinian thinking from the analysts at The Psychoanalytic Center of California. The depth of clinical and theoretical thinking from contributors such as Joseph Aguayo, Greg Gorski, and Fred Vacquer shows the sophistication and dedication to Kleinian psychoanalysis. The clinical papers which predominate are filled with detailed, genuine, unfiltered clinical interactions, warts and all. The authentic sense of patient and analyst struggling with the seriousness of the task comes through again and again. Other intriguing papers on infant observation and particularly the papers by Jon Tabakin on interpretation and Annie Reiner on shame add theoretically sophisticated descriptions for readers at all levels of analytic knowledge. Jennifer Langham has given readers a chance to examine the rich and varied thinking of this original group of psychoanalysts far from London staying true to Kleinian ideas and clinical practice.’ -- Abbot A. Bronstein, PhD, section editor, International Journal of Psychoanalysis’ Analyst at WorkTable of ContentsIntroduction Jennifer Langham 1. D. W. Winnicott, Melanie Klein and W. R. Bion: The controversy over the nature of the external object—holding and container/contained (1951-1967) Joseph Aguayo 2. An exploratory account of the nature of infant observation as a psychoanalytic method to develop insentient layers of the mind Persila Conversano 3. The ending of an “imperfect” analysis: A clinical study of the dismantling of a manic organization Gregory Gorski 4. The analysis of omniscience: From certainty to hope Jennifer L. Kunst 5. A patient with stillborn dreams Barnet Malin 6. Engaging a patient in treatment and its natural extension: The conversion of psychotherapy to psychoanalysis Chris L. Minnick 7. Notes on rhythm and the velocity of speech Michael I. Paul 8. Shame and the betrayal of the self Annie Reiner 9. The nature, history, and meaning of interpretation Jon Tabakin 10. The analysis of a borderline patient illustrating terrorist behavior Frederick Vaquer

Read more less

Book SynopsisPsychoanalysis is, above all, the science of the emotions but, as yet, there is no single accepted theory of affects. Instead, there are many, all of them too limited, based, as they are, on idiosyncratic introspection. R. D. Hinshelwood presents an extensive scoping of the prominent theories from the philosophy of mind and academic psychology alongside a review of psychoanalytic ideas based on instinct theory or object relations. This wide review of divergent theories from various disciplines helps to mitigate variation and identify commonalities. From this scoping exercise, Hinshelwood creates a form of qualitative meta-analysis which enables the most common dimensions to come to the fore – namely, 113 features of affects form a more general theory with four dimensions. This more systematic view offers an affective ‘space’ as a model for thinking about the nature of affects, their origins, and their consequences. At the same time, Hinshelwood retains the personal. He starts with the memory which initiated his quest to understand how much we are rooted in the experience of our feelings and includes a chapter documenting his own idiosyncrasies to bring his own bias to the fore. In this way, the book preserves the especially personal and intimate quality of its universal topic.Trade ReviewR. D. Hinshelwood has a distinguished place in psychoanalysis and related fields. Deeply rooted in clinical practice, he has, over many years, encouraged a respect for objective knowledge of the subjective world, while retaining the aliveness of the psychoanalytic process, and he has shown us how to get to it. In this book, he applies his distinctive acumen to affects, the heart of human experience. What better place to grasp these dimensions together. We live in the immediacy of affects, they impel us to think and judge, we are social through them, and they are rooted in our bodies. Hinshelwood masterfully guides us into knowing them.’ -- Karl Figlio, clinical associate, British Psychoanalytical Society, and senior member, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy AssociationEmotions have been the Cinderella of philosophical, psychological, biological and psychoanalytic theories of the person. This, despite their being central to our subjective experience of ourselves and our relations to others. Bob Hinshelwood has written a masterful and lucid account of theories of emotion over 4000 years, and synthesised them into clusters of agreement and overlap. He goes on to evolve his own highly original formulation of emotions that captures both their subjective and bodily experience and their communicative function as existing in a metaphorical 3D mental space.. As in his previous writing, Hinshelwood describes complex ideas with great clarity. This important book will be of interest to philosophers, psychologists and psychoanalysts in providing an outstandingly clear guide to a central aspect of what it is to be human. -- Richard Rusbridger, training and supervising analyst and child analyst, British Psychoanalytical Society, and honorary reader, UCL‘The Mystery of Emotions: Seeking a Theory of What We Feel introduces a bold thesis: affects which have often seemed to be like an accumulation of mess of whatever is left over after the more well-thought processes have been used are more seriously meaningful. R. D. Hinshelwood takes us on a panoramic tour of the realm of emotions starting with the Greek philosophers through modern technology and artificial intelligence and up to politics, commerce, and psychoanalytic perspectives. The text is well organised, astute, and informative, and I would highly recommend it to my colleagues and students.’ -- Aner Govrin, professor and psychoanalyst, Bar-Ilan University, Israel'Hinshelwood presents a highly original model. His approach is methodological and analytical. [...] This analysis provides an intriguing perspective that is of intellectual value.' -- Kay Hoggett, MBACP (Accred), integrative counsellor, coach, and supervisorTable of ContentsAcknowledgements About the author Prologue: A happy little girl Part I. Introduction – What, and who for? 1. Theories and confusions 2. What we already know 3. Affects and cognition Part II. The hard work – A method 4. ‘Discoveries’ of four disciplines 5. Clusters and dimensions 6. A 3D space 7. Congruence and complementarity: the social role of affects 8. Exchange and being Epilogue: What are our results? References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the most important representatives and promoters of Kleinian psychoanalysis, Herbert Rosenfeld was a pioneer in the psychoanalytic treatment of psychotic patients. Through his work with this cohort, he developed the theory of destructive narcissism and opened up a deeper understanding of psychosis and successful treatment of these disorders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThere is a great deal of confusion about psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, even among practitioners of these methods. One reason is the sheer volume of psychoanalytic psychotherapies currently practised around the world; some very similar, others widely divergent. To help allay this confusion, Kevin Volkan and Vamık Volkan present what lies at the heart of psychoanalysis and demonstrate the different ways this core can manifest in practice. The authors’ aim is to improve psychoanalytic psychotherapists’ professional identities as well as their approaches to patients. The wide-ranging subjects discussed include therapeutic principles; key psychoanalytic concepts; psychotherapeutic identity; the clinician’s office; making formulations and interpretations; psychosocial development; individual and large-group identity; trauma and transgenerational transmission; dreams and unconscious fantasies; therapeutic play; personality organisations; cultural considerations; and psychoanalysis in organisations and groups. Volkan and Volkan draw upon their decades of experience of psychoanalysis, biculturalism, and supervision of colleagues in various countries and cultures to create an exceptional textbook to explain psychoanalytic theory clearly. They present compelling case examples to illustrate technical issues that never lose sight of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy as living professions that continue to develop. This is a must-read for all who want to learn more about psychoanalytic practice and theory.Trade Review‘Kevin and Vamik Volkan’s new book, How the Mind Works: Concepts and Cases in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, is a significant and welcome addition to the literature. It brings both depth and reach, presenting varied new perspectives without jettisoning important elements of classical approaches. Of particular value is the authors’ ability to span inner and outer, psyche and culture, unconscious fantasy and reality, intrapsychic with small and large group processes, and transgenerational traumatic elements with individual and cultural dimensions of the here and now. The authors see psychoanalysis as an ever-evolving “living profession,” and they have resisted the temptation to dogmatize while not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. This is a rich and worthwhile book.’ -- Joseph Bobrow, PhD, psychoanalyst and author of 'Zen and Psychotherapy: Partners in Liberation'‘This textbook on psychoanalysis offers the reader both a historical lens and a current one, incorporating issues such as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, of telephone and virtual sessions, and of the war in Ukraine. The authors’ in-depth case examples illustrate fundamental constructs of psychoanalytic principles in a clear and cogent manner. Vamık Volkan’s profound conceptualization of large-group identity gives the reader a unique understanding of human development with clarity and poignant examples. Kevin Volkan’s framing of analytic theory with a cultural lens brings clarity to dynamics familiar to all mental health professionals in an understandable manner. Each chapter contains pearls of wisdom that can be appreciated by seasoned training analysts as well as those new to analytic thinking. The meaning and limitations of confidentiality in the virtual world of today is timely and essential for all practicing analytic therapists to understand and appreciate. Addressing how organizations and groups can be understood using the analytic lens that the Volkans focus on can be of value to leaders of all types of groups, corporations, and countries. This book is a gift to all people interested in the human mind, co-authored by two gifted deep thinkers. It can’t be recommended highly enough. A text for all seasons, a book for all reasons, for everyone interested in deepening one’s understanding of analytic thinking.’ -- Richard Beck, LCSW, BCD, CGP, AGPA-F, President, International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes, 2018–2022‘Kevin Volkan and Vamık Volkan update psychoanalytic knowledge about how the mind works while preserving the basic foundation of psychoanalysis. In a clear way they illustrate the link between the psychosocial realm and clinical work, bringing our attention to how major external events play a role in shaping individuals’ internal worlds and psychological functions. Regardless of the kind of theoretical or technical ideas held, this book is a significant contribution in helping clinicians solidify their therapeutic identities.’ -- Işıl Vahip, MD, retired professor of psychiatry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey; a training and supervising psychoanalyst, Istanbul Psychoanalytic Association for Training, Research and Development; founder and president, Izmir Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy AssociationTable of ContentsAbout the authors About this book Chapter 1 Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy: five therapeutic principles Chapter 2 Id, ego, and superego Chapter 3 Psychotherapeutic identity, confidentiality, and psychotherapist disclosure Chapter 4 Neutrality, transference, countertransference, counterresponses Chapter 5 The psychoanalytic clinician’s office Chapter 6 Developmental levels Chapter 7 Defense mechanisms Chapter 8 Resistances Chapter 9 Making formulations, interpretations, and working through Chapter 10 The separation–individuation level and psychosocial development Chapter 11 Individual identity and large-group identity Chapter 12 Traumas and transgenerational transmissions Chapter 13 Two case stories illustrating transgenerational transmissions Chapter 14 Dreams and unconscious fantasies Chapter 15 Therapeutic play Chapter 16 Personality organizations Chapter 17 A story of a psychoanalysis illustrating psychoanalytic terms and concepts Chapter 18 Two brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy cases Chapter 19 A psychotherapy case with cultural considerations Chapter 20 Psychoanalytic ideas related to organizations and groups Chapter 21 Concepts related to psychoanalytic group psychotherapy Coda References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith contributions from Prachi Akhavi, Salman Akhtar, Cuneyt Iscan, Surreya Iscan, Alan Michael Karbelnig, Kelsey Leon, Clara Mucci, Nina Savelle-Rocklin, Asmita Sharma, Julian Stern, and Thomas Wolman. Food matters begin even before birth with the absorption of nutrients in the womb and continue through baby feeds, family meals, school dinners, barbecues with friends, and romantic meals to the growing dietary restrictions of old age. The role of food is not limited to its life-giving necessity but plays a huge role in communal bonding, cultural tradition, and self-expression. Food Matters investigates the significant role that food plays in all of our lives and is divided into three major sections: Mostly biological, Mostly psychological, and Mostly sociological. ‘Mostly’ because biology, psychology, and sociology are not hermetically sealed subject areas and overlaps into other fields are to be expected. Part I : Mostly biological consists of two chapters. The first pertains to food and health, the second to food and illness. At its core, Chapter One aims to undermine the notion of ‘healthy choices’ and demonstrate a more nuanced vision of what actually builds healthy communities. The varied case material of Chapter Two shows the myriad roles food can play in relation to illness. Part II: Mostly psychological has four chapters, which respectively address the relationship between food and sexuality, aggression, narcissism, and morality using wide-ranging theory and practical case examples. Part III : Mostly sociological has three chapters. The first pertains to money, the second to immigration, and the third to movies, again packed with relevant theory and clinical vignettes, and, in the case of the final chapter, using the movies Waitress and Babette’s Feast to show the central role food plays, even in our fictional lives. This welcome smorgasbord of ideas from an international array of contributors representing the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, anthropology, and gastroenterology will be essential reading for professionals and academics in those fields and will shed fresh light on the subject for anyone with an interest in the multifaceted meanings of food matters.Trade ReviewThis collection of highly original and illuminating papers on the pivotal, though neglected, role of food and eating in our emotional and cultural lives fills a void in our field. Its clinical insights and rich storytelling will enlarge the scope of therapists’ attunement to patients, with great benefit to each member of the dyad. I enthusiastically recommend Food Matters to the practitioners of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis at all levels of experience. It is a sumptuous feast indeed. -- Kathryn Zerbe, MD Training and Supervising Analyst, Oregon Psychoanalytic Center and author of 'Body Betrayed' and 'Beyond Body Betrayed'Like music, food is with us always and everywhere. We enjoy it, prepare it, crave it, devour it, avoid it, clean it, love it, despise it, and above all, need it for our survival. Food can make us happy and desperate, proud and ashamed, hopeful and nostalgic. Despite such profound reverberations, the topic of food has somehow remained marginal in psychoanalysis. Now, this thoughtfully edited volume by Salman Akhtar and Nina Savelle-Rocklin brings to us a nuanced biopsychosocial understanding of our relationship with food. The book’s message is loud and clear: food matters. -- Aleksandar Dimitrijevic, PhD Lecturer, International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin and co-editor of 'From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude'From our earliest attachment phase, sights, smells, and tastes of food get intertwined with psychophysical development, mirroring, sustenance, and growth. This edited volume offers a remarkable exploration of such “food matters” across weaning, bulimia, self-starvation, cultural patters of cooking and eating, medical illness, and other essential and imaginary territories linking food and mind. It is an exceptional contribution! -- Jaswant Guzder, MD Psychoanalyst, Artist, and Former Director of Child Psychiatry at Montreal Jewish Hospital, MontrealTable of ContentsAcknowledgments About the editors and contributors Introduction Part I: Mostly biology 1. Food and health Kelsey Leon 2. Food and illness Julian Stern Part II: Mostly psychology 3. Food and sexuality Surreya Iscan and Cuneyt Iscan 4. Food and aggression Nina Savelle-Rocklin 5. Food and narcissism Asmita Sharma and Prachi Akhavi 6. Food and morality Clara Mucci Part III: Mostly sociology 7. Food and money Alan Michael Karbelnig 8. Food and immigration Salman Akhtar 9. Food and movies Thomas Wolman References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Short: Private Notes of a Psychoanalyst is wise, uplifting and inspiring. Salman Akhtar brings his talent for poetic literature to gift us 111 pithy ‘proto-essays’ on a wide range of subjects. His meditations touch upon mental health, humor, death, animals, Freud, religion, children, and so much more. He imparts his advice with the lightest of touches, willing you to partake, consider, and refine his offerings. His aim: to further the cause and message of his beloved psychoanalysis.Trade Review‘Salman Akhtar distils his decades of clinical experience into pithy and poetic reflections on psychoanalytic theory and practice. His book, In Short, is a rare gem offering a thoughtful and provocative inquiry in both the prosaic and the profound facets of our profession.’ -- Joan Wheelis, MD, Training and Supervising Analyst, Boston Psychoanalytic Institute; author of 'The Known, The Secret, and The Forgotten'‘No one writes better than Professor Salman Akhtar. I simply could not put this book down, having read it with much pleasure in only one sitting. Sigmund Freud would have been extremely proud that Professor Akhtar has devoted himself with such warmth and such intelligence to our profession.’ -- Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and Honorary Director of Research at the Freud Museum London, as well as Chair of the Scholars Committee of the British Psychoanalytic Council; author of 'Hidden Histories of British Psychoanalysis'Table of ContentsContents Introduction Part I Preparation 1. Reading Freud 2. Three ‘must read’ papers by Ferenczi 3. Children, animals, and poetry 4. Alternate professions 5. Life style requirements 6. Silent sacrifices 7. Seeking diverse supervision 8. Setting up an office 9. A mysterious rug 10. Entering a world of ambiguity 11. Reading, reading and reading 12. Borrowed faith Part II Principles 13. Mental health vs. mental illness 14. A mentally healthy person 15. Half-sane, half-insane 16. Happy and unhappy children 17. Peek-a-boo 18. Hunger, vision, and the rhythms of nature 19. Learning from children 20. The non-human envelope 21. Toy shops are not for kids 22. Spirituality vs. religion 23. Sex–aggression–sex 24. Metapsychology 25. Two major updates on metapsychology 26. ‘Bad’ death instinct, ‘good’ death instinct 27. Six misunderstandings about death in psychoanalysis 28. Three reactions to separation 29. Two griefs that last a lifetime 30. What happens to the deceased’s possessions? 31. A crowded preconscious 32. Receiving vs. taking 33. Reaction formation and undoing 34. Even Unabomber … 35. Double-bind 36. The unknown, the unmet, and the unlived 37. Where does an aborted childhood go? 38. Being emotional vs. being sentimental 39. Feeling ‘at home’ 40. Who should change? 41. Toxic nobility 42. Basic trust, earned trust, and mutual trust 43. Good enough revenge 44. Where the ego was … 45. Two ‘great crimes’ 46. Detachment theory Part III Practice 47. Who picks the day and time for the first appointment 48. Abstinence 49. Safeguarding the sacred nature of the clinical space 50. Restroom 51. Where is Rome? 52. Hearing is essential for listening 53. Floating couch 54. Does the analyst’s gender matter? 55. No ‘correct’ way of laying on the couch 56. Handling patients’ questions 57. Doodling etc. 58. Addressing the analyst by his/her professional title 59. Not asking about actual sex 60. Before and after 61. About defecation and feces 62. Diminishing frequency of sessions 63. Chronic lateness 64. The use of a deliberately wrong interpretation 65. Small gifts given by immigrant patients 66. Refusing to listen to certain kinds of material 67. Being special 68. Pleasure and mental illness 69. ‘Insane chemistry’ 70. Demystification 71. Imaginary interlocutors 72. When not to give the bill to a patient? 73. Humility 74. Which form of racism is worse? 75. Masochistic funnel 76. The novelist and the poet 77. Analyst’s boredom 78. Analyst’s financial status 79. Where does the analyst look? 80. Insight addiction 81. Three different outcomes 82. Why not this at the end? 83. The fate of the analyst’s bills 84. Uttering an adult patient’s first name 85. Procrastination and nail biting 86. Stillness 87. Cats, not dogs 88. Countertransference sublimation 89. Financial extremes Part IV Profession 90. The second beard 91. Psychiatry and psychoanalysis 92. Do we need a prefix to ‘psychoanalysis’? 93. Jewish psychoanalysis, Christian psychoanalysis 94. Pauses 95. Writers and non-writers 96. Analysts’ memoirs 97. Was Bion Hindu? 98. PEP vetting 99. Age-specific writing 100. The ‘domestication’ of wild analysis 101. Childless child analysts 102. Three tips for supervisors 103. Non-analyst friends 104. The future of psychoanalysis 105. Blood killing 106. Un-associated and un-affiliated 107. The analyst’s funeral 108. Analysts turned gurus 109. Taboos 110. The analyst’s dog 111. Alternate pathways Acknowledgments About the author Name index

Read more less

Book SynopsisChristopher Bollas presents us with a new literary form in his Conversations: twenty-three unique dialogues to captivate, amuse, and inspire. The psychoanalyst Paula Heimann asked: ‘Who is speaking? To whom? About what? And why now?’ We speak with the voice and position of many others – mothers, fathers, siblings, teachers – and ordinary conversation therefore stages the history of our interpersonal engagements. Heimann’s questions also apply when we talk to ourselves, and our inner dialogues reveal the hidden genius of our private world in which we are both actor and audience, poet and reader, politician and electorate. It's quite a ride, and an art form all of its own.Trade ReviewChristopher Bollas brings a psychoanalytic and absurdist mind to ordinary conversations, lifting them into a form akin to theatre. Funny, larky, and existential, Bollas turns the private inside out and these exchanges voice the surprising, yet recognisable, inner feelings of our contemporary moment. -- Mona SimpsonBollas invites the fascinating possibility that psychoanalysis is akin to poetic conjecture Why am I here What are we doing in this room together I don’t know I don’t know Could it be Why me Mama Papa This funny sad book wanders through the everyday and reflects on the nothingness of being Disappearing down the drains - the uncanny fear of the loss of self. Terror Why me Why me -- Anish KapoorTable of ContentsContents Brand new Can I help you? It feels good Customer relations Shopping Memories are made of this On board Reading Looking through the window The overall situation What is happening? Do I look stupid? Along came a spider The man with no worries What is it? Cyberspace On the same page Self with other Should we enter? The delay A thought searching for a thinker Being and nothingness So I went down to shop Afternote

Read more less

Book SynopsisPsychoanalysis has investigated character traits since its foundation by Freud but there are still those as yet uncovered. Eight neglected traits form the focus of this book, divided into two distinct parts: mostly public and mostly private. These are explored using philosophy, literature, psychiatry, social anthropology, and psychoanalysis.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFranco De Masi opens psychotherapeutic practice to include psychic suffering considered unreachable. Unanalysable' patients have an inactive dynamic unconscious, so clinicians must go beyond to engage with psychic processes outside conscious awareness. Packed with theory and clinical case studies, this book is a must-read for practitioners.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe ideas of psychoanalysis have permeated Western culture. It is the dominant paradigm through which we understand our emotional lives, and Freud still finds himself an iconic figure. Yet despite the constant stream of anti-Freud literature, little is known about contemporary psychoanalysis. Introducing Psychoanalysis redresses the balance. It introduces psychoanalysis as a unified 'theory of the unconscious' with a variety of different theoretical and therapeutic approaches, explains some of the strange ways in which psychoanalysts think about the mind, and is one of the few books to connect psychoanalysis to everyday life and common understanding of the world.How do psychoanalysts conceptualize the mind?Why was Freud so interested in sex?Is psychoanalysis a science?How does analysis work?In answering these questions, this book offers new insights into the nature of psychoanalytic theory and original ways of describing therapeutic practice. The theory comes alive through Oscar Zarate's insightful and daring illustrations, which enlighten the text. In demystifying and explaining psychoanalysis, this book will be of interest to students, teachers and the general public.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCompact INTRODUCING guide on the debates surrounding psychoanalysis's most contested figure. Freud is universally recognised as a pivotal figure in modern culture. Yet the man and his work continually attract scandal, outrage and scientific suspicion. Was he a psychological genius or a peddler of humbug? Despite his atheism, did he invent a new religious cult? Is he to blame for disguising the prevalence of sexual abuse? Is there an Oedipus Complex? Was he a drug addict? A wittily illustrated glimpse behind the demonised myths to the heart of a red-hot debate.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIsabel Menzies Lyth has formulated a way of thinking about social structures as forms of defence - as ways of avoiding experiences of anxiety, guilt, doubt and uncertainty - that is as challenging as it is persuasive. She believes that the individual is engaged in a lifelong struggle against primitive anxiety. A psychoanalyst writing in the tradition of Klein and Bion, her writings span more than thirty years of research in applied psychoanalysis and are here collected in the first of two volumes. In her classical paper on nursing, she writes: "By the nature of her profession the nurse is at considerable risk of being flooded by intense and unmanageable anxiety." The organisation and bureaucracy of the nursing profession have failed to contain the high levels of anxiety and stress that nurses experience, attempting instead to take practical steps to enhance recruitment and stem job wastage. The 'real nature' of the problem remains untouched. This is a controversial collection, which makes available to a wider public an important part of the research tradition of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. The author extends her analytic range to cover themes of children in long-stay hospitals and day-care institutions, and the maternal role today. All the essays combine her two main professional interests: the dynamics of the individual in his or her own right and the psychodynamics of the social world.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis pioneering study shows that it is possible to establish a dialogue with a psychotic child and that schizophrenia in small children in treatable.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat makes a man like John, in every respect a cultured and charming man, successful in his career and liked by his friends and acquaintances, behave violently towards a woman he says he loves? Drawing on writings from the men's and women's movements, and from psychoanalytic literature; a view of the issues surrounding this case.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe papers in this book focus on many different aspects of the therapeutic relationship, including the self of the therapist, working cross-culturally and with language difference, impasse, risk taking, the place of research, and the influence of theory. Clinical examples illustrate successful as well as less succssful outcomes in therapy, and these clinical explorations make the book accessible to both systemic and non-systemic practitioners alike.Part of the Systemic Thinking and Practice Series.Contributors:Rhonda Brown; John Burnham; John Byng-Hall; Alan Carr; Carmel Flaskas; Jo Howard; Alfred Hurst; Ellie Kavner; Sebastian Kraemer; Inga-Britt Krause; Rabia Malik; Maeve Malley; Michael Maltby; Barry Mason; Sue McNab; Amaryll Perlesz; David Pocock; Hitesh Raval; Justin Schlicht; and Lennox K. Thomas.Trade Review'This book, which comprises contributions from many well-known authors, takes an important step in the field of family therapy towards linking many fruitful approaches. Sheila McNamee (2004) recently suggested that we have reached the point when we should be promiscuous rather than remaining faithful to one pure approach. This allows us to enrich our skills rather than confining them. Nevertheless, we still need a shared focus. What better place to start than by exploring the space between the therapist and client. So much of our thinking has centred on both what therapists do, or what families are . However, there is now an increasing interest in how family and therapists mutually influence each other in the therapeutic relationship.'- John Byng-Hall, from the ForewordTable of ContentsSeries Editors’ Foreword -- Foreword -- Introduction -- Relational reflexivity: a tool for socially constructing therapeutic relationships -- From system to psyche -- “Alice and Alice not through the looking glass”: therapeutic transparency and the therapeutic and supervisory relationship -- Working with men who use violence and control -- Not getting lost in translation: establishing a working alliance with co-workers and interpreters -- Intercultural: where the systemic meets the psychoanalytic in the therapeutic relationship -- Before and beyond words: embodiment and intercultural therapeutic relationships in family therapy -- Sticky situations, therapy mess: on impasse and the therapist’s position -- Systems of the heart: evoking the feeling self in family therapy -- Shame and the therapeutic relationship -- Relational risk-taking and the therapeutic relationship -- Adopting a research lens in family therapy: a means to therapeutic collaboration -- Research on the therapeutic alliance in family therapy

Read more less

Book SynopsisFreud wrote to Binswanger on the anniversary of his daughter's death, "We will remain inconsolable. I don't care for my grandchildren anymore, but find no joy in life anymore."The author poses the question in this book; what legacy does grief, loss, trauma have upon the second and third generations? When Freud wrote "I don't care for my grandchildren anymore', what impact did his agonised grief have upon them?This book is a meditation on the ideas that have evolved in response to this question over the author's thirty years as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Her central thesis is that we must not ignore, in our psychoanalytic practice, the impact of our ancestral history, especially if our ancestors have suffered, for their anguish can return and haunt us. It is the anguished return of traumatic experience that repeats itself across the generations and affects the way the next generation is perceived.Trade Review'As with her studies on the importance of siblings, in this new book Prophecy Coles similarly explores other neglected areas of clinical practice, focussing here upon the ongoing emotional presence of significant absences and other traumas in the child's early life. She highlights the continuing impact of such experiences as that of dead siblings, forgotten grandparents, abandoning parents and unrembered nannies and nurses. This book will be of interest and value to anyone with clinical responsibility for patients, and for those whose traumatic past is still echoing - often unrecognised - in the present lives.' - Patrick Casement, author of On Learning from the Patient'Prophecy Coles invites us to meet the uninvited guests from our unremembered past. To reject her invitation would be to remain blind - blind to intergenerational traumas involving love, loss, cruelty, terror, hope and helplessness, and courage which influence our present way of interacting with others. Narratives drawn from Shakespeare, Aeschylus and Sophocles, and biographical sketches of Gorky, Primo Levy, Churchill and others, awaken our appreciation for understanding our transgenerational stories. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book provides an opportunity for parents, psychotherapists and people in many other walks of life to be curious about unattended-to blind spots in family stories and family experiences, such as the impact of the nanny, grandparents, the dead baby or dead sibling, and momentary or longer term abandonment or trauma on our developing personality structures. Coles makes us aware of how essential it is to create discourses within ourselves, our families, and our clients, to give thought and meaning to the legacy of our past intergenerational patterns of relationships in order not to re-enact past traumatic dramas in interactions with others, at home or at work.' - Dr Jeanne Magagna, former Head of Psychotherapy Services, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, LondonTable of ContentsPreface -- Introduction -- Aeschylus and ancestral history -- Sophocles and the fate of adoption -- Sibling ghosts -- Grandmother’s footsteps -- The nurse -- The trauma of war -- Brain development and trauma

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe purpose of the Whurr series in Psychoanalysis edited by Peter Fonagy and Mary Target of University College London, is to publish clinical and research based texts of academic excellence in the field. Each title makes a significant contribution and the series is open-ended. The readership is academic and graduate students in psychoanalysis, together with clinical practitioners, in Europe, North America and indeed worldwide. This book comprises an introduction to major psychoanalytical concepts in Kleinian theory starting with the ideas formulated by Melanie Klein and extending them to those developed by her main followers. There are chapters focusing on the Psychoanalytic play technique, unconscious phantasy, paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions,envy and gratitude, oedipus complex, projective identification, internal objects, symbolisation, models of the mind, containment and transference. Emphasis has been placed on clarity and there is ample illustration of central concepts with clinical examples. Its chapters have been written by leading psychoanalysts: David Bell, Jill Boswell, Ronald Britton, Catalina Bronstein, Marco Chiesa, Betty Joseph, Ruth Riesemberg Malcolm, Hanna Segal, Elizabeth Bott Spillius, Priscilla Roth and Jane Temperley. The book will be useful to students of Psychology, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychoanalysis as well as to specialists who want to consolidate their knowledge.Table of ContentsSeries foreword by Peter Fonagy and Mary Target vii Acknowledgements ix List of contributors xi Introduction xv Chapter 1 Melanie Klein: beginnings 1Catalina Bronstein Chapter 2 Freud and Klein on the concept of phantasy 17Elizabeth Bott Spillius Chapter 3 The paranoid-schizoid position 32Priscilla Roth Chapter 4 The depressive position 47Jane Temperley Chapter 5 Beyond the depressive position: Ps (n +1) 63Ronald Britton Chapter 6 The Oedipus Complex 77Jill Boswell Chapter 7 Envy and gratitude 93Marco Chiesa Chapters 8 What are internal objects? 108 Catalina Bronstein Chapter 9 Projective identification 125David Bell Chapter 10 Symbolization 148Hanna Segal Chapter 11 Changing models of the mind 157Hanna Segal Chapter 12 Bion’s theory of containment 165Ruth Riesenberg-Malcolm Chapter 13 Transference 181Betty Joseph References 193 Index 203

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow do you develop a truly rich and rewarding career in psychotherapy? How can you find joy in such painful work? How do you develop your skills in the field? How can you conquer your creative inhibitions? In short, how do you flourish as a psychotherapist? Brett Kahr answers these questions, and so many more, in his brilliant new book, painting a frank portrait of the life of the psychotherapist. Taking the reader through the life cycle of the therapist, Brett offers lots of practical advice, from assessing one’s suitability for the career, to managing one’s finances, to preparing for death. His clear voice and style shine through in this authentic, readable narrative. Professor Kahr has produced a must-read, gripping account of how you can thrive in every respect in this complex and rewarding career. How to Flourish as a Psychotherapist should be required reading for every therapist, anyone considering taking up the career, and everyone who has ever wondered what kind of person becomes a therapist. This is a truly original work that should become compulsory reading by all in the field.Trade ReviewI found myself responding with enjoyment and gratitude to this book… Kahr is happy to share all he has learned the long way… [and] has a very serious point to make about the importance of deriving ‘deep delight’ from our work. -- Isobel Todd, Psychodynamic Counsellor * Sussex Counselling & Psychotherapy News, Spring 2019 *I recommend it not only to students and prospective students but to therapists at whatever stage of their career they may be. You’ll find plenty of solid evidence and inspiration to deepen and expand your practice, indeed your life. -- Dr David Van Nuys * Shrink Rap Radio *The book seems aimed at traditional psychoanalytic psychotherapists but its wisdom applies much more widely. -- Roslyn Byfield MBACP (Accred), psychodynamic counsellor in private practice * ‘Private Practice’, June 2019 *‘This is an impressive and easy read (because it is well written and interesting) – a cradle-to-grave guide to building a successful practice – about not just surviving but “flourishing”. The book tackles all the stages of a career in psychotherapy, from choosing the most suitable course to what to do when you’re approaching retirement, and deals with real-life issues such as the envy of colleagues and back pain.’ -- Martin Pollecoff, psychotherapist and UKCP chair * New Psychotherapist *‘… this detailed and candid book … provides the reader with a comprehensive and revealing description of how to build and maintain a successful psychotherapy practice. … In lively conversational style he offers fascinating and humorous scenarios and anecdotes from different stages of his career.’ -- Caroline Hallett * British Journal of Psychotherapy, 35 (2019): 655-657 *'This is an impressive and easy read (because it is well written and interesting) – a cradle-to-grave guide to building a successful practice – about not just surviving but ‘flourishing’. [...] Not only did I invite Brett to join us, I bought a second copy of his book for a friend who is considering following this career path. So, think on this – greater love hath no man for a book he is reviewing than to buy two copies using money from his own pocket.' -- Martin Pollecoff, psychotherapist and UKCP chair, 'New Psychotherapist', Spring 2019Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Survival may not be enough Part One Building a Secure Base CHAPTER ONE A Noble, Complicated Passion Mouthwash for the Mind Zyklon B Gas in the Consulting Room Friends with Oesophageal Cancer and Vascular Dementia CHAPTER TWO Assessing One’s Own Sanity The Perfect Candidate Pathological Motivations Can We Afford to Train? CHAPTER THREE On Marrying a Library Bibliophilia Psychotherapeutica Curling Up with Sigmund Freud My Three Favourite Reading Rooms CHAPTER FOUR The Joys and Pitfalls of Training A Child in a Sweet Shop Exhausted, Frazzled, and Scrutinised Legitimate at Last CHAPTER FIVE Cultivating Brilliant Mentors Dis-identifying from Disappointing Tutors A Most Inspiring Lecturer from Mendoza A Great Teacher Under Whom I Never Studied Part Two The Art of Prospering CHAPTER SIX Perpetual Pupils Training Never Ends How to Be a Medieval Monk Swimming in Organisations CHAPTER SEVEN Attracting Referrals The Art of Advertising My Last 500 Patients Answering the Telephone CHAPTER EIGHT Managing Money Under-Charging and Over-Charging Collecting Fees Financial Planning for the Future CHAPTER NINE The Promotion of Expertise Flagrant Exhibitionism or Neurotic Inhibitionism? Generativity versus Stagnation On Stage at the Royal Opera House CHAPTER TEN Patients as Persecutors and as Privileges The Prevention of Burn-Out Hate in the Countertransference Delightful, Honourable People Part Three Thriving Beyond the Consulting Room CHAPTER ELEVEN Nourishing Fledgling Colleagues Enlivening the Classroom On Being a Clinical Supervisor A Little Drink After Work CHAPTER TWELVE Public Lecturing My Very First Paper The Length of the Applause Addressing the United Nations CHAPTER THIRTEEN Daring to Research The Humiliation of Edward Glover A Search for the Traumatic Origins of Psychosis Sexual Fantasies at the Dinner Table CHAPTER FOURTEEN Writing Articles and Books The Agony of 300 Words and the Ease of 300,000 Publishing as a Relational Experience “Not Another Book on Projective Identification” CHAPTER FIFTEEN Blue-Sky Projects Freud Thinks Big A Bestseller and a Serial Killer Psychotherapists in Prison and in the Middle East Part Four Surviving Success CHAPTER SIXTEEN Avoiding Isolation The Need for Solitude Beware the Ethics Committee Choosing the Best Dinner Parties CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Navigating Envy Winnicott’s Mutterings in Geneva Thank God I’m Overweight On Being Provocative CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Nurturing the Ageing Spine The Ultimate Narcissistic Injury The Ten-Minute Gymnasium Lounging on the Beach CHAPTER NINETEEN Embracing Idiosyncrasy Conquering Creative Entanglements Mourning Unfulfilled Dreams The Maverick in Mental Health CHAPTER TWENTY Preparing for Death The Appointment of Clinical Executors How to Retire Properly On the Shaping of a Legacy EPILOGUE My Parting Thoughts Acknowledgements About the author References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat stands between us and authoritarianism seems increasingly fragile. Democratic practices are under attack by foreign intrusion into elections; voter suppression restricts citizen participation. Nations are turning to autocratic leaders in the face of rapid social change. Democratic values and open society can only be preserved if citizens can discover and claim their voices. We access society through our organisations, yet the collective voices and irrationalities of these organisations do not currently offer clear pathways for individuals to locate themselves. How can we move through the mounting chaos of our social systems, through our multiple roles in groups and institutions, to find a voice that matters? What kind of perspective will allow institutional leaders to facilitate the discovery of active citizenship and support engagement? This book draws on psychodynamic systems thinking to offer a new understanding of the journey from being an individual to joining society as a citizen. With detailed stories, the steps – and the conscious and unconscious linkages – from being a family member, to entering outside groups, to taking up and making sense of institutional roles, illuminate the process of claiming the citizen role. With the help of leaders who recognise and utilise the dynamics of social systems, there may be hope for us as citizens to use our institutional experiences to discover a place to stand.Trade ReviewIt is a far-reaching book in terms of the expressed desire to help bring about greater participatory democracy. It is a helpful book through its illustration of how to do this at many levels—in the family, in organisations, and in society. In many places it redefines how we think about issues such as mental health, maturity, leadership, and citizenship. […] I am grateful for the accessibility of the writing and the storytelling that brings it alive. I am grateful for the clear enunciation of ideas […] This is an important read. It brings forward the ways in which self-reflective practice, in taking up a place for one’s voice, listening to others, and finding important commonalities can lead to a true democracy. -- Susan Long, 'Organisational & Social Dynamics' 22(2) (2022)This is a brilliantly realized treatment of what it means to be a citizen, and how we find our way there through the deeply personal psychological voyage we all must sail. “Finding a Place to Stand” uses cutting-edge behavioral science, clear and cogent story-telling, and a deep understanding of the human condition to create a book that should be on every citizen’s nightstand. -- Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret); Supreme Allied Commander at NATO (2009–2013); Dean, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (2013–2018)This is a book about close listening to and learning from experience, within and across the social frames in which we live, grow, work, and relate. At one level, it tells the story of one individual’s own journey of discovery, as a psychiatrist keenly attuned to the social contexts in which he practices and leads. At another, it is a powerful exploration of the conscious and unconscious processes involved in finding and enabling others to find one’s own voice, as an 'internal citizen', in a family, a group, an organization, and a nation. Hugely ambitious, wonderfully accessible, its publication could scarcely be more timely -- David Armstrong, Associate Consultant, Tavistock Consulting, LondonTaking off from the now familiar idea of studying “the individual in context,” Dr. Shapiro brilliantly extends this concept from the parent–child matrix, to the couple, the developing family, the group – a social or work entity – and onto the larger collectives of institutions and political cultures. The trajectory of this book also covers the four decades of Shapiro’s work experiences: in individual treatment, in hospital administration, in group dynamics, and in the study of group relations. It is an amazing ride. He is educating us so carefully in the ways that unconscious forces, splitting, and conflict, at every level of social organization, impede and shape our individual and social capacities. Read this book as an individual, as a practitioner, but, above all, as a citizen. A fascinating, containing guide in turbulent times. -- Adrienne Harris, Psychoanalyst, New York University, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and PsychoanalysisFinding a Place to Stand is a psycho–socio–political tour de force – carefully, steadily, and powerfully building the case for conscious integration of our multiple human identities so that we can learn to coexist and participate as citizens in an increasingly complex and disruptive world. Dr. Shapiro draws deeply and effectively on his experiences, both as a psychiatrist and as a manager–leader, to set the stage for his exploration of the divisions in our society and his search for citizens who can bridge the divides. -- John Shattuck, Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (1993–1998); U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic (1998–2000)An in-depth examination of the ‘psychology of citizenship’. Shapiro addresses a subject that has vast implications for individuals and organizational leaders… He methodically analyzes human connections in the broadest sense of the word …[and] explores the complex psychological dynamics of individuals, families, groups, and organizations in lucid writing free of medical and scientific jargon. Throughout, Shapiro cites pertinent examples and includes anecdotes, each of which aptly illustrates a key point. These stories, whether they are about individuals in families, patients in hospitals, or employees in companies, all serve to enrich the theories presented. An observant, discerning work on understanding and improving organizations. -- Kirkus Reviews'The book’s sections flow cohesively from one to the next, so the logical progression of the argument becomes clear. The author explores the complex psychological dynamics of individuals, families, groups, and organisations in lucid writing free of medical and scientific jargon. Throughout, Shapiro cites pertinent examples and includes anecdotes, each of which aptly illustrates a key point. These stories, whether they are about individuals in families, patients in hospitals, or employees in companies, all serve to enrich the theories presented here. The author’s observations also further understanding of the less-than-logical ways humans process their situations, something that seems intuitive only once it’s explained. [...] An observant, discerning work on understanding and improving organisations.' -- Kirkus Reviews, December, 2022Table of ContentsAcknowledgments About the author Foreword Part I: Developmental Steps Toward Citizenship CHAPTER ONE Joining: How are they right? CHAPTER TWO Containment and Communication CHAPTER THREE Making Sense of Organizational Dynamics CHAPTER FOUR The Interpretive Stance CHAPTER FIVE Taking Up a Role: A Case Example Part II: Leadership and the Self-Reflective Institution CHAPTER SIX The CEO: Developing Institutional Citizenship CHAPTER SEVEN Learning about Systems Psychodynamics CHAPTER EIGHT From Group Relations to Leadership CHAPTER NINE Shaping a Mission: Case Example CHAPTER TEN A Citizenship Laboratory CHAPTER ELEVEN Institutional Learning on Behalf of Society Part III: A Citizen in Society CHAPTER TWELVE Approaching Social Interpretation Through Institutions CHAPTER THIRTEEN Do Nations Have Missions: American Identity CHAPTER FOURTEEN Citizenship as Development CHAPTER FIFTEEN Society as a Multicellular Learning System Conclusion References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBion’s life spanned key events in the twentieth century. Born in India in 1897, he came to boarding school in England aged 8 and at 18 fought in the tanks in World War One. He trained as a doctor between the wars and, in his World War Two work for the army, he was an innovator. After the war, he became a patient of Melanie Klein, qualified as a psychoanalyst, and was part of an extraordinary period in psychoanalysis of work with psychotic mechanisms in patients. In the late 1950s, he identified the configuration container/contained as being at the heart of human development. He looked outside of psychoanalysis to philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, and even theo-mystical thinkers. His work evolved radically throughout the 1960s and, at age 70 when many would be thinking of slowing down, he emigrated to California and began to travel internationally, giving lectures and supervisions across three continents. After Freud, Bion appears to be the most quoted psychoanalyst of our time and this book provides the opportunity, even for those familiar with his work, to gain insight into its sheer breadth, showcased so brilliantly in this slim volume. As author of Bion: 365 Quotes, Nicola Abel-Hirsch’s immersion in Bion’s vast œuvre has enabled a comprehensive introduction to Bion and his work. Her lightness of touch, whilst retaining the necessary depth, makes it a joy to read. Bion and his work can be somewhat enigmatic but Abel-Hirsch’s understanding offers the ideal introduction to the man and his work.Trade Review‘Nicola Abel-Hirsch is a masterful teacher of Bion's works; knowledgeable of his history as an individual and a psychoanalyst. Like the best of teachers, she knows her subject intimately and explains even the most obscure concepts clearly. Her new book, Bion: An Introduction, displays her deep appreciation and knowledge of the work of Bion. I highly recommend Bion: An Introduction to all clinicians and psychoanalysts who want to understand Bion's life and work in depth.’ -- Lawrence J. Brown, author of 'Transformational Processes in Clinical Psychoanalysis: Dreaming, Emotions and the Present Moment' and 'On Freud's “Moses and Monotheism”'‘Underpinned by six opening thoughts and six closing thoughts as pointers, Bion: An Introduction is a masterpiece that captures the heart of Bion’s life and works brilliantly. Nicola Abel-Hirsch’s intimate knowledge of the thinking of W. R. Bion, combined with her deep capacity to dialogue with disciplines such as mathematics, philosophy, literature, the arts, and science, enables her to tackle a wide range of topics in a high-quality, original work. Bion: An Introduction is an essential, up-to-date, scholarly book for the study and exploration of Bion which intelligently stimulates new paths for thinking and dreaming.’ -- Jani Santamaría, co-editor of 'Autistic Phenomena and Unrepresented States: Explorations in the Emergence of Self'‘Nicola Abel Hirsch has written a short, comprehensive new book on Bion, encompassing and interweaving his life and the progression of his work from the first to the final books and papers. Her extensive knowledge and profound understanding of Bion’s immense contribution to psychoanalysis makes her the ideal author for this book. The book is a pleasure to read; we feel her deeply engaged presence throughout, as if in a vivid dialogue with Bion in which she is always trying to understand him better. The compactness of the format consistently avoids over-simplification; one is left with an experience of fluidity and integration, and a sense of satisfaction for having been offered an accomplished, lively portrait of Bion the man and Bion the thinker.’ -- Ignês Sodré, author of 'Imaginary Existences: A Psychoanalytic Exploration of Phantasy, Fiction, Dreams and Daydreams'Table of ContentsPrologue About the author Five opening thoughts 1. Bion’s war The Battle of Cambrai Tanks War languages Amiens Turning the guns round 2. Oxford, medicine, Samuel Beckett The 1920s and 1930s Some detail Bion and Samuel Beckett 3. What groups do The 1940s Starting to ask questions again World War Two work: including Northfield The Tavistock groups: including Bion the observer, basic assumptions An eyewitness account of Bion’s group-work (From an occasion when Bion took a group in 1964 for about four months) 4. A time of membership Late 1940s/1950s Analysis with Klein and Klein’s group of 4 The Imaginary Twin ‘Verbal thinking’ in the 50s papers Bion and Winnicott 5. A breakthrough And then Bion made a breakthrough On Arrogance (1958) Attacks on Linking (1959) Braithwaite and Frege The beginning of Bion’s ‘cogitations’ 6. Going back to beginnings India Bishop Stortford School 7. Thinking The Theory of Thinking Hume and Kant 8. Opening up his own thinking: Learning from Experience (1962) The “name givers” Alpha-function Beta elements Container/contained Bion’s own clinical work in this period Galileo and Poincaré 9. A new instrument: Elements of Psychoanalysis (1963) The Grid Reversible Perspective An eyewitness account of Bion’s clinical work in the 1960s 10. Going as far as possible: Transformations: Change from Learning to Growth (1965) Transformations and Invariants Bion’s own clinical work in this period The emergence of ’O’: the last chapter of Transformations Plato and Milton 11. Talking about his findings Memory and Desire 1965 Catastrophic Change 1966 The Commentary to Second Thoughts: Selected Papers on Psycho-Analysis 1967 12. Los Angeles 1967 Spectrum Dispute with Greenson 13. Elaborations: Attention and Interpretation: A Scientific Approach to Insight in Psycho-Analysis and Groups (1970) Container/contained Suffering Intuition and ‘F’[Faith] Bion’s own clinical work in this period An eyewitness account of Bion’s clinical work in the 1970s 14. International lectures, seminars and supervisions The Brazilian Lectures The Brazilian Clinical Seminars The Tavistock Seminars The Italian Seminars 15. Autobiography and A Memoir of the Future Bion’s autobiography A Memoir of the Future Five closing thoughts Brief glossary Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe increase in the number of non-binary children and adults in our society raises important treatment questions as well as much controversy. It seems essential that analysts and candidates grapple with the challenges this change in society presents. As we struggle in our psychoanalytic societies to diversify our membership and broaden our understanding of difference, this collection offers an opportunity for further discussion and study of one of the most important issues of our time. The opening essay by editor Shari Thurer provides a clear overview of recent cultural changes and the evolution of thinking about gender identification by the American Psychoanalytic Association. Next is an autobiographical essay by long-term non-binary individual Robin Haas plus a clinical reflection on Haas’ contribution by Rita Teusch. A recent account of an individual becoming non-binary from Francesca Spence is followed by the reactions of their parents, L. Harry Spence and Robin Ely. After that are psychoanalytic thoughts about the body and gender by Malkah Notman and reflections on gender from Dan Jacobs. The book ends with an extensive bibliography on the subjects of transsexuality and non-binary gender by Oren Gozlan Beyond the Binary: Essays on Gender introduces readers to current ideas about gender fluidity and choice, as well as giving voice to those who have chosen to be non-binary. This is a must-read for all practising clinicians that will help broaden their perspective on this growing issue. This is the fourth publication sponsored by the Library Committee of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and the first published by Phoenix.Trade Review‘Gender is always arriving, and psychoanalysts seem always to be chasing its coattails. Most often this chase has been an effort to corral gender: to capture, categorize, and conclude. Beyond the Binary – a collection of essays written as history, memoir, guide, critique, bibliography – works to move past the capture of categories. This monograph is possessed of a beguiling intimacy that engages the reader to rethink gender, gendered embodiment, and the analytic enterprise in listening to gender, its vicissitudes, and discontents.’ -- Ken Corbett, Clinical Assistant Professor, New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy‘Beyond The Binary is a deeply personal and beautiful collection of reflections about contemporary understandings of gender in the psychoanalytic community. Eloquently written and accessible to all who are curious, it impresses through its inclusivity and compelling engagement between the reader and its authors.’ -- Dr Daniel Anderson, psychiatrist and group analyst, author of 'The Body of the Group: Sexuality and Gender in Group Analysis'‘Psychoanalysis originated within a nineteenth-century, binary view conflating sexuality with gender. In this matrix, Freud hypothesized a biological, drive-driven, cross-cultural universal theory of mind. Times have changed. Today’s nontraditional gender presentations instead rely on individual subjectivities that call into question universalizing, cisnormative beliefs. These new clinical presentations also challenge psychoanalysts to move beyond procrustean developmental theories, theories that all too frequently lead to countertransferential impositions of therapists’ subjectivity onto patients. Beyond the Binary offers a good introduction for therapists wishing to rethink what they think they know about gender and how it affects their clinical practices.’ -- Jack Drescher, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University, Adjunct Professor, New York University, Training and Supervising Analyst, William Alanson White InstituteTable of ContentsIntroduction Rita Teusch 1. Psychoanalysis Meets They Shari Thurer 2. Being Non-Binary Robin Haas 3. A Clinical Reflection on “Being Non-Binary” Rita Teusch 4. Non-Binary Thinkpiece Francesca Spence 5. Thoughts by the Parents of a Non-binary Individual Harry Spence and Robin Ely 6. Some Recent Thoughts on Gender Malkah Notman 7. Reflections on Sexuality and Gender Dan Jacobs 8. Transsexuality Bibliography Oren Gozlan Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPsychoanalytic encounters are filled with the unknowability of two unconscious minds meeting. Here one may forge a link that enables the process of meaning-making, or else it can become the space for destruction, perversion, evacuation, regression, and stasis. The area that lies between the mind of the analyst and that of the analysand is thus the liminal area of psychoanalysis – of growth, change, turbulence, as well as that of impasse, bastion, and failure. This latter could be what Bion meant by minus links. It seems that the primitive part of the mind is always looking for ways to evade psychic pain and emotional truth is always in peril. Analytic links are always fraught with danger. Minus links share with each other the quality of evading truth and therefore inhibiting emotional growth and the capacity to give meaning to experiences. Blind spots may be enabled by analytic allegiance to our particular schools, our inability to forge a technique in the face of the protomental apparatus which can breed arrogance, the complacencies of language, gaps between our theoretical allegiance and our technique, and, finally, all too often, our unwillingness and inability to get in touch with our true experience. Would it help to chronicle our quotidian failures? In these liminal moments, the links between analyst and analysand slide away from the emotional truth, rather than towards it. Nilofer Kaul presents these moments and explores the complex reasons behind them in a stunning debut work that questions the heart of analytic practice.Trade Review‘Nilofer Kaul's inspirational book gently sways us in the liminal space between sleep and waking, conscious and unconscious, truth and deception. Her literary scholarship grants her further tools to approach ineffable emotional experience and give words to wordless psychic realms, the ghosts of psychoanalysis. Writing at the threshold of what is almost unbearable, “on the foremost circle that surrounds the abyss”, her book is deeply moving, and yet unsettling, perturbing. Kaul does not let us rest on our laurels, but compels us to acknowledge, not only our patients’, but also our own too-often collapse to negative links, lies, and untruthful interpretations. Kaul thus touches the heart of psychoanalytic practice, that which lies in the thin, hairbreadth space between truth and its evasion.’ -- Avner Bergstein, training and supervising psychoanalyst, Israel Psychoanalytic Society‘Plato’s Ghost is an absorbing and highly personal meditation on the positive and negative linkages that promote or stunt personality development, and the role of language in advancing or disguising truthful links. Plato’s classic formulation of truthful or lying representations becomes, in Bion’s model of the mind, his now familiar formula of LHK versus minus LHK – positive and negative emotional links. Using this model as her basis, Nilofer Kaul terms the points of potential change “liminal spaces” inhabited by the “ghosts” of internal objects of both analyst and analysand which meet through the transference. The book is wide-ranging in its references but Kaul draws her most telling examples from her own clinical work, in close association with evocations of emotional states in literature and myth. ‘She is especially concerned with the analyst’s own linguistic temptations: to use what Bion terms the “language of substitution” in the face of feelings of helplessness, when pressured either by sterile desires for professional or social “success” or excessive desire to help the patient. Kaul was a teacher of literature for many years and the book is structured along dichotomies that are familiar in literature, such as equivocation versus ambiguity or paradox, communication versus deception, emotionality versus sentimentality, empathy versus collusion, which are applicable also to the intimacy of the psychoanalytic consulting room. Her sensitivity and courage in exploring the nature of apparent “failures” or unsatisfactory endings in terms of the analyst’s own learning from experience, rather than romanticising them for self-protection, will be found valuable and appreciated by many practising analysts.’ -- Meg Harris Williams, psychoanalytic and literary author‘Plato's Ghost is a beautiful exploration of what constitutes the paradoxical essence of analytic space. It is not by chance that Kristeva borrows from Plato the concept of the “semiotic chora”, which we can define as the dynamic and affective-sensory container within which the “aesthetic” birth of the subject takes place. From the outset, this kind of external extension of the maternal womb is a dialectical space. It is neither one nor the other, but of both and neither. Psychoanalysis has many concepts to allude to dimension: transference, analytical field, hymenality, transitionality, middle kingdom, wakeful dream, caesura, reversible perspective, negative capability, no-thing, projective identification, and so on. Being an analyst means knowing how to inhabit this spatiality, in which the ego becomes itself only if it allows itself to be alienated from the other, without ever collapsing the processuality onto any of the terms that establish it. Nilofer Kaul demonstrates a great skill in dealing with such challenging but fascinating themes. Hers is also an important contribution to the current and very lively development of psychoanalysis inspired by Bion and post-Bionian models, in a word, a psychoanalysis more that is of the order of becoming than of having. Last, but not least, the author style of writing is excellent, which makes for not only a rewarding but also for a fluent and very pleasant reading. I can warmly recommend Plato's Ghost: Minus Links and Liminality in Psychoanalytic Practice not only to all psychoanalysts and psychotherapists who are passionate about their work and feel the need to constantly refine the tools they use in their clinical practice, but also—for example because of the great attention to the theme of language and its relation to the unconscious that runs throughout the text—to scholars of the humanities.’ -- Giuseppe Civitarese, author of Sublime Subjects: Aesthetic Experience and Intersubjectivity in Psychoanalysis‘Using examples from her practice, the author shows us how we may look for ways to evade psychic pain and romanticise outcomes for self-protection […] This book is an important contribution to Bionian thinking and will challenge readers to reassess their practice.’ -- Jane Cooper, former senior counsellor at University of Cambridge – Therapy Today May 2022‘There is great value in this book, which in its gentle insistence on “the inherently liminal nature of psychoanalysis” […] can remind us of what psychoanalysis initially was, is, and can continue to become. […] Readers of this book will be immersed in a leading edge of contemporary analytic thinking.’ -- Howard B. Levine, MA, 'The Psychoanalytic Quarterly', 92:1, 148-153, 2023Table of ContentsAcknowledgements About the author Prologue: On liminality and minus links Introduction Part I: Language 1. Unconscious and psychoanalysis 2. Vocabulary and syntax 3. Sentiment and emotion 4. Pride and arrogance Part II: Vertices 5. Womb and foetus 6. Mind and body 7. Endings and failures Epilogue: Solitude or blank desertion References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA therapeutic relationship is a web of interactions, tasks and processes in space and time. It is not easy to stay aware of the relationship in the thick of helping someone, but doing so boosts flexibility and enables deeper formulation. A therapist who can be attentive not only to activities specific to the model, but also to common factors underlying all therapy (or in simple terms, balance a task and person focus) has a far greater chance of enabling change. Building on thirty years of theory and practice in the field of Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), yet speaking directly to practitioners across all therapeutic modalities, Brief Therapy Relationships explores the complex relationships that shape and contribute to therapeutic change. In doing so, it arms readers with a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of a therapeutic relationship, leading to increased control and confidence when working with clients.Table of ContentsTable of Contents 1. Introduction Core concepts; stories from the therapy room 2. How to Have a Therapeutic Relationship Talking and listening; within us and between us 3. Mapping, Writing, Other Methods of Relating Mapping to hold and shape the therapy 4. Setting the Scene Considerations for the therapist and client 5. Beginning to Work Together Beginning therapeutic narrative; arriving at a focus 6. Establishing and maintaining a reformulation Holding, shaping, monitoring; evaluating 7. What to do in the middle of therapy Time, tasks, relationships; common problems 8. Ending Managing the end of the relationship therapeutically 9. Therapeutic versatility CAT as a framework for EMDR, Compassion-focused therapy, behavioural therapy, Gestalt therapy, groupwork, art therapy, authenticity 10. The therapeutic dance list: Tools for self-supervision and development Relational competences and dimensions of relating

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less