Unrepresented States and the Construction of Meaning

Unrepresented States and the Construction of Meaning PDF Author: Howard B. Levine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429923619
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
In the last several decades, the analytic field has widened considerably in scope. The therapeutic task is now seen by an increasing number of analysts to require that patient and analyst work together to strengthen, or to create, psychic structure that was previously weak, missing, or functionally inoperative. This view, which may apply to all patients, but is especially relevant to the treatment of non-neurotic patients and states of mind, stands in stark contrast to the more traditional assumption that the therapeutic task involves the uncovering of the unconscious dimension of a present pathological compromise formation that holds a potentially healthy ego in thrall. The contrast which this book calls attention to is that which exists roughly between formulations of psychic structure and functioning that were once assumed to have been sufficiently well explained by the hypotheses of Freud's topographic theory and those that were not. The former are modeled on neurosis and dream interpretation, where conflicts between relatively well-defined (saturated) and psychically represented desires were assumed to operate under the aegis of the pleasure-unpleasure principle.

Unrepresented States and the Construction of Meaning

Unrepresented States and the Construction of Meaning PDF Author: Howard B. Levine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429923619
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the last several decades, the analytic field has widened considerably in scope. The therapeutic task is now seen by an increasing number of analysts to require that patient and analyst work together to strengthen, or to create, psychic structure that was previously weak, missing, or functionally inoperative. This view, which may apply to all patients, but is especially relevant to the treatment of non-neurotic patients and states of mind, stands in stark contrast to the more traditional assumption that the therapeutic task involves the uncovering of the unconscious dimension of a present pathological compromise formation that holds a potentially healthy ego in thrall. The contrast which this book calls attention to is that which exists roughly between formulations of psychic structure and functioning that were once assumed to have been sufficiently well explained by the hypotheses of Freud's topographic theory and those that were not. The former are modeled on neurosis and dream interpretation, where conflicts between relatively well-defined (saturated) and psychically represented desires were assumed to operate under the aegis of the pleasure-unpleasure principle.

Recognising, Understanding and Treating Nameless States

Recognising, Understanding and Treating Nameless States PDF Author: Bernd Nissen
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100381090X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
In this captivating volume, Bernd Nissen considers the multiplicity of nameless states, and the impact of their discovery on psychoanalytic theory and practice. The nameless is considered through a variety of lenses: trauma, unrepresented states, autistoid/autistic states, breakdown, non-existence, and unrepressed/unstructured consciousness. Nissen draws upon the work of Freud and Bion to inform his exploration of nameless states and the ways in which they might be located, understood and conceptualised. He illuminates the processes of transformation into the psychic and asks how nameless states can be psychically anchored. Clinical vignettes are used throughout to illustrate the consequences for treatment, as well as interpretations of complex holding situations. This book will be of interest to analysts both in practice and in training, as well as psychotherapists and mental health practitioners wishing to understand nameless states more deeply.

On Freud's ''Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning''

On Freud's ''Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning'' PDF Author: Lawrence J. Brown
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429916922
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
This book is a collection of papers by leading contemporary psychoanalysts who comment on the continuing important relevance of Freud's (1911) paper, Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning. The contributors gathered here represent current European, Latin American, and North American perspectives that elaborate the continuing value of Two Principles for present-day psychoanalytic thinking. Each author examines Freud's paper through a personal lens that is coloured by the psychoanalytic culture from which he or she comes. In each instance, the writers' chapters demonstrate the heuristic value of Two Principles for twenty-first century psychoanalytic theory and technique. A common thread that runs through all the chapters is the view that this brief paper by Freud, which he humbly introduced by stating, "The deficiencies of this short paper, which is preparatory rather than expository ...", is a masterpiece that contains within it the seeds of much of his later writing. The distinction he draws between the pleasure principle and the reality principle are profound and raise questions that still preoccupy analysis today.

Of Things Invisible to Mortal Sight

Of Things Invisible to Mortal Sight PDF Author: Annie Reiner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 042991671X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
Dr James Grotstein (1925-2015) was the foremost Bion scholar, and one of the most noted and honoured psychoanalysts in the world. His prolific writings and generous encouragement to other analysts has had an enormous impact. He was among the first to examine Bion's most controversial concept - O - in particular the mystical aspects of O. The title of this book, Of Things Invisible To Mortal Sight: A Celebration of the Work of James S. Grotstein, inspired by a line from Milton's Paradise Lost (Book III), reflects Grotstein's decades-long examination of the most profound aspects of the human mind. Dr James Grotstein's erudition and depth of understanding made him one of the most revered psychoanalysts throughout the psychoanalytic world. He was well known and appreciated for his prolific writings, so it was only fitting to honour him through writing, and the fifteen articles in Of Things Invisible To Mortal Sight are written by esteemed analysts from Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, and throughout the United States.

Engaging Primitive Anxieties of the Emerging Self

Engaging Primitive Anxieties of the Emerging Self PDF Author: Howard B. Levine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429913281
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
This book, based on the 7th International Conference on the Work of Frances Tustin in 2014, offers readers a contribution to the understanding and treatment of primitive mental states and primitive character disorders.

The W.R. Bion Tradition

The W.R. Bion Tradition PDF Author: Giuseppe Civitarese
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429922736
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1048

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Book Description
This book provides a clear, comprehensive, and sequential account of Bion's thinking, his life experience and technical innovations, saturated with quotes from his diaries and theoretical papers. It offers clinical vignettes to illuminate salient aspects of the therapeutic encounter.

Memory, Trauma and Narratives of the Self

Memory, Trauma and Narratives of the Self PDF Author: Edmundo Balsemão Pires
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1035337975
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
This insightful book explores the impact of traumatic experiences on the constitution of narrative identity. Editors Edmundo Balsem‹o Pires, Cl‡udio Alexandre S. Carvalho, and Joana Ricarte bring together multidisciplinary experts to examine the epistemic and ethical-political value of narrative memory, demonstrating its significance in forming essential aspects of the self and collective identity.

Lost to Desire

Lost to Desire PDF Author: Wolfgang Lassmann
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000479900
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
This book covers the work of psychoanalysts in post WWII France with patients beset by somatic problems with little manifest fantasy life, and how their concept of opératoire continues to inform the theory and practice of working with patients in crisis. The author explores what the new concept has elicited in a community of practitioners – close to the École Psychosomatique de Paris – over a period of some sixty years. As a 'skin for thought' it facilitated change while preserving coherence, gradually beginning to attract further considerations. Important themes have included: the early groundwork necessary for the configuration of fantasy, the importance of a shared imaginary, the role of denial and obliterated memories as a bond between people, emergency measures of a Me cut off from revitalisation, the effects of the rhythms and atmosphere at the workplace on family life, and the consequences of a crisis suppressed for lack of a holding frame. As psychoanalytic discourse adapted to the challenges, the original perspective changed aspect, moving from a systematic evaluation of what the patients did not produce to what the analyst had to fill in to make sense of the situation. Clashing with the terrain, French psychoanalysts raised important problems about psychic anaemia that are stimulating and deserve cross-cultural discussion. This book will appeal to psychoanalysts in practice and training who wish to learn more about this ground-breaking work on memory and trauma, and how to apply it to their own practice.

From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude

From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude PDF Author: Michael B Buchholz
Publisher: Phoenix Publishing House
ISBN: 1800131100
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
Social 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 Brahler, Jagna Brudzinska, Michael B. Buchholz, Lesley Caldwell, Karin Dannecker, Aleksandar Dimitrejevic, Mareike Ernst, Jay Frankel, Gail A. Hornstein, Colum Kenny, Eva M. Klein, Helga de la Motte-Haber, Gamze Ozcurumez 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.

Ghosts in the Consulting Room

Ghosts in the Consulting Room PDF Author: Adrienne Harris
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131728111X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Ghosts in the Consulting Room: Echoes of Trauma in Psychoanalysis is the first of two volumes that delves into the overwhelming, often unmetabolizable feelings related to mourning. The book uses clinical examples of people living in a state of liminality or ongoing melancholia. The authors reflect on the challenges of learning to move forward and embrace life over time, while acknowledging, witnessing and working through the emotional scars of the past. Bringing together a collection of clinical and theoretical papers, Ghosts in the Consulting Room features accounts of the unpredictable effects of trauma that emerge within clinical work, often unexpectedly, in ways that surprise both patient and therapist. In the book, distinguished psychoanalysts examine how to work with a variety of ‘ghosts’, as they manifest in transference and countertransference, in work with children and adults, in institutional settings and even in the very founders and foundations of the field of psychoanalysis itself. They explore the dilemma of how to process loss when it is unspeakable and unknowable, often manifesting in silence or gaps in knowledge, and living in strange relations to time and space. This book will be of interest to psychotherapists and psychoanalysts, as well as social workers, family therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. It will appeal to those specializing in bereavement and trauma and, on a broader level, to sociologists and historians interested in understanding means of coping with loss and grief on both an individual and larger scale basis.