2020 American Board & Academy of Psychoanalysis (ABAPsa) book award winner! In Beyond Psychotherapy: On Becoming a (Radical) Psychoanalyst, Barnaby B. Barratt illuminates a new perspective on what it means to open our awareness to the depths of psychic life and restores the radicality of genuinely psychoanalytic discourse as the unique science of healing. Starting with an incisive critique of the ideological conformism of psychotherapy, Barratt defines the method of psychoanalysis against the conventional definition, which emphasizes the practice of arriving at useful interpretations about our personal existence. Instead, he shows how a negatively dialectical and deconstructive praxis successfully 'attacks' the self-enclosures of interpretation, allowing the speaking-listening subject to become existentially and spiritually open to hidden dimensions of our lived-experience. He also demonstrates how the erotic deathfulness of our being-in-the-world is the ultimate source of all the many resistances to genuinely psychoanalytic praxis, and the reason Freud's discipline has so frequently been reduced to various models of psychotherapeutic treatment. Focusing on the free-associative dimension of psychoanalysis, Barratt both explores what psychoanalytic processes can achieve that psychotherapeutic ones cannot, and considers the sociopolitical implications of the radical psychoanalytic 'take' on the human condition. The book also offers a detailed and compassionate pointer for those wanting to train as psychoanalysts, guiding them away from what Barratt calls the 'trade-school mentality' pervading most training institutes today. Groundbreaking and inspiring, Beyond Psychotherapy will be essential reading for psychoanalysts, psychoanalytic psychotherapists and all other therapists seeking a radically innovative approach. It will also be a valuable text for scholars and students of psychoanalytic studies, social sciences, philosophy and the history of ideas.

This book is presented in three sections: I. “The rise and demise of a psychotherapist,” a personal story of concluding that the scientific assumptions on which it is based prevent psychotherapy from facilitating true healing and is institutionalized co-dependence; II. a discussion of the living in process model developed by Schaef to facilitate true healing at all levels of being and; III. a philosophical exploration of mechanistic and post modernist science and their relationship to the healing professions.

Beyond the Brain seriously challenges the existing neurophysiological models of the brain. After three decades of extensive research on those non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by psychedelic drugs and by other means, Grof concludes that our present scientific world view is as inadequate as many of its historical predecessors. In this pioneering work, he proposes a new model of the human psyche that takes account of his findings. Grof includes in his model the recollective level, or the reliving of emotionally relevant memories, a level at which the Freudian framework can be useful. Beyond that is perinatal level in which the human unconscious may be activated to a reliving of biological birth and confrontation with death. How birth experience influences an individual's later development is a central focus of the book. The most serious challenge to contemporary psycho-analytic theory comes from a delineation of the transpersonal level, or the expansion of consciousness beyond the boundaries of time and space. Grof makes a bold argument that understanding of the perinatal and transpersonal levels changes much of how we view both mental illness and mental health. His reinterpretation of some of the most agonizing aspects of human behavior proves thought provoking for both laypersons and professional therapists.

Written by leaders in the field of relational integrative psychotherapy, this book offers trainees and experienced therapists a methodology for assisting people in rediscovering their ability to maintain genuine relationships and, thus, better psychological health. This classic edition includes a new preface by Richard G. Erskine that reflects on changes in the field since the book’s first publication. Drawing from Rogers' client-centered therapy, Berne's transactional analysis, Perls' Gestalt therapy, Kohut's self-psychology, and the work of British object-relations theorists, this book accessibly introduces the authors’ Keyhole theory while using real life interchanges between therapists and clients to illustrate key concepts. The second part of the book details the application of this method in therapy work and provides transcripts from seven therapy sessions. These include examples of relational psychotherapy, psychotherapeutic regression, working with a parental introject, couple psychotherapy, as well as detailed explanations of the therapeutic methods. An undoubtable classic, the book’s conversational style makes the theory and methods of a relationally based integrative psychotherapy come alive. This versatile approach to therapy promises to be effective across a wide range of therapeutic situations, making this a valuable book for both students and practicing clinicians throughout the spectrum of mental healthcare providers.

In Beyond Therapy, Erving Polster examines the role of "life focus" in three of society's most familiar activities: ordinary conversation, the arts, and religion. He shows the life focus movement to be an indivisible complement to just simply living. In proposing a paradigm shift from psychotherapy's priority for changing people's troubled lives into the complementary purpose of illuminating their lives, the author invites the participation of many people who do not seek remedial treatment for emotional or psychological problems. Polster incorporates a broader scenario for enhancing attention through community groups, showing that the convergence of people's minds on commonly important life themes creates enlightenment. This interlocked focus amplifies the ensuing conversational content and creates a meditation-like absorption. This kind of pointed focus, argues Polster, has the power to colour the lives of the participants. This work offers rationale and design for life focus community groups, and also creates a heightened identity for the life focus movement, providing other foundational ideas that help to unify diverse approaches. Mental health professionals will benefit from its wealth of specific exercises and instructions for program design. Polster provides leaders and group members with a well-rounded perspective on the basics of personal enlightenment and communal belonging.

This text aims to help therapists to engage more deeply with their patients while maintaining appropriate boundaries. Using clinical examples from her own practice, Bridges (psychiatry, Harvard Medical School) addresses issues such as sexual attraction, exceptional patient requests, and the risks and rewards of self-revelation. The volume concludes with a description of a model for individual supervision and consultation for therapists and trainees. Annotation : 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Let's get real! Many people will never go to therapy. In addition, many people who go to therapy will make little or no progress largely because of the inability of the therapist. It is a monumental task to explore someone's psyche or to reconstruct human psychological functioning. When it comes to psychotherapy, we continue to fool ourselves and waste precious time. We need to tap into our own inner resources and use common sense to improve our lives. Be your own healer! Take responsibility for your life. Strive towards personal improvement. Rely on your own inner strength.You can hange yourself. Dr. Bacchus, in his book, Beyond Psychotherapy, provides 123 life changing ideas that will help you on your journey through life. You have much more ability within you than you realize. You can heal yourself. You can have a great life!