From time to time therapists find themselves in a bind—faced with a challenging situation, unsure how to proceed. Such a conundrum leaves the therapist on edge, concerned that the success of treatment might rest on how he or she responds to the circumstance. The situation seems to call for more than pat clinical protocol, leaving the therapist uncertain as he or she ventures into novel territory wondering "what do I do now?" Conundrums and Predicaments in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis: The Clinical Moments Project comprises twelve distinct clinical moments during which the treating/presenting analyst feels him- or herself in just such a quandary. The presented moment comes to a head at a point where the therapist feels uncertain what his or her next and best "move" might be—one that balances the protection of the therapeutic alliance with the need to address a clinical development head on. Space is then left for 25 well-known analysts ("commentators") of varying theoretical persuasions to weigh in, sharing what they think about the situation and how they imagine they might have proceeded. In the final analysis, the point of this project is not to determine how the moment "should" have been handled given the input of experts; rather, it aims to illuminate the clinical theories that therapists carry with them into sessions where they operate implicitly, directing their attention to select sorts of data that are then used to fashion an intervention. This, then, is the ultimate lesson of the Clinical Moments Project—to learn how to listen to how therapists listen to the unfolding material. This book will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists of all persuasions.

Forensic Psychoanalysis examines the traumatic psychological origins of violence and explores the ways in which such disasters can be prevented and treated. The book encapsulates Professor Brett Kahr’s lengthy career in the field of forensic mental health, investigating all aspects of this vital arena, from the history of criminality to the current-day application of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy to the care of rapists, arsonists, genital exhibitionists, paedophiles, and murderers. This gripping text surveys more than one century of literature on the psychotherapeutic treatment of the criminally insane and provides tremendous insight into how mental health professionals can contribute to the reduction of global violence. Forensic Psychoanalysis will be crucial for all readers interested in both the prevention of criminality and its psychological treatment.

Psychoanalytic Method in Motion identifies and examines varied controversies about how psychoanalysts believe treatment should best be conducted. Irrespective of their particular school of thought, every analyst builds up a repertoire of his favored ways of working, which some analysts come to see as the most efficacious approach to treatment available. While such differences of opinion are unsettling, and may even threaten to tear the field asunder, this book sees these differences as benefitting psychoanalysis by improving the ways in which psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists practice. In this book, Richard Tuch covers the waterfront by examining controversies that further the field by raising questions that help evolve the treatment, challenging every analyst to re-think what they are doing in the consulting room...and why. Some of the chief controversies explored include: the enactment debate—unparalleled tool or regrettable error? whether analysts can truly be "objective"—whatever that means the advantages and disadvantages arising from the analyst’s use of authority the ways in which theory influences the analyst’s search for data—blinding him to evidence he implicitly discards as irrelevant whether any given treatment approach is more efficacious than others, as some analysts claim the legitimacy of psychoanalysis itself—whether it can truly be considered scientific whether certain methods of supervision are more effective than others whether free association can be considered therapeutic in and of itself the extent to which an analyst preferred clinical theory is a product of his personality Drawing on ideas from a range of different analytic perspectives, this book is an essential and accessibly written guide to working towards best practice in the analytic setting. Psychoanalytic Method in Motion will appeal greatly to both students and practitioners of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Psychoanalysis is often equated with Sigmund Freud, but this comparison ignores the wide range of clinical practices, observational methods, general theories, and cross-pollinations with other disciplines that characterise contemporary psychoanalytic work. Central psychoanalytic concepts to do with unconscious motivation, primitive forms of thought, defence mechanisms, and transference form a mainstay of today's richly textured contemporary clinical psychological practice. In this landmark collection on philosophy and psychoanalysis, leading researchers provide an evaluative overview of current thinking. Written at the interface between these two disciplines, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychoanalysis contains original contributions that will shape the future of debate. With 34 chapters divided into eight sections covering history, clinical theory, phenomenology, science, aesthetics, religion, ethics, and political and social theory, this Oxford Handbook displays the enduring depth, breadth, and promise of integrating philosophical and psychoanalytic thought. Anyone interested in the philosophical implications of psychoanalysis, as well as philosophical challenges to and re-statements of psychoanalysis, will want to consult this book. It will be a vital resource for academic researchers, psychoanalysts and other mental health professionals, graduates, and trainees.

Mitchell Wilson explores the fundamental role that lack and desire play in psychoanalytic interpretation by using a comparative method that engages different psychoanalytic traditions: Lacanian, Bionian, Kleinian, Contemporary Freudian. Investigating crucial questions Wilson asks: What is the nature of the psychoanalytic process? How are desire and counter-transference linked? What is the relationship between desire, analytic action, and psychoanalytic ethics?

This collection of selected papers explores psychoanalytic technique, exemplifying Fred Busch’s singular contribution to this subject, alongside the breadth and depth of his work. Covering key topics such as what is unique about psychoanalysis, interpretation, psychic truth, the role of memory and the importance of the analyst's reveries, this book brings together the author's most important work on this subject for the first time. Taken as a whole, Busch’s work has provided an updated Freudian model for a curative process through psychoanalysis, along with the techniques to accomplish this. Meticulous in providing the theoretical underpinnings for their conclusions, these essays depict how Busch, as a humanist, has continuously championed what in retrospect seems basic to psychoanalytic technique but which has not always been at the forefront of our thinking: the patient’s capacity to hear, understand and emotionally feel interventions. Presenting a deep appreciation for Freudian theory, this book also integrates the work of analysts from Europe and Latin America, which has been prevalent in his recent work. Comprehensive and clear, these works focus on clinical issues, providing numerous examples of work with patients whilst also presenting concise explanations of the theoretical background. In giving new meaning to basic principles of technique and in reviving older methods with a new focus, A Fresh Look at Psychoanalytic Technique will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapists.

This book looks at beginnings and endings of treatment within psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy that permeate analysis.