This book shows that the therapist's subjectivity is not merely countertransference, but an indispensable component of the therapeutic process. The subjective life of the therapist is co-equal to that of the patient in creating the therapeutic transaction. Throughout the book, clinical material from patients, personal data from the therapist, and theoretical discussions weave around one another in a triple helix. Thus, the subjective life of the therapist is manifestly integral to and inseparable from the verbal and nonverbal behaviour of the patient.

Postmodernist ideas are widely used in family therapy. However, it is argued that these ideas have their limits in meeting the richness and complexity of human experience and therapy practice. Family Therapy Beyond Postmodernism examines postmodernism and its expressions in family therapy, raising questions about: * reality and realness * the subjective process of truth * the experience of self. Alongside identifying the difficulties in any sole reliance on narrative and constructionist ideas, this book advocates the value of selected psychoanalytic ideas for family therapy practice, in particular: * attachment and the unconscious * transference, projective identification and understandings of time * psychoanalytic ideas about thinking and containment in the therapeutic relationship. Family Therapy Beyond Postmodernism offers a sustained critical discussion of the possibilities and limits of contemporary family therapy knowledge, and develops a place for psychoanalytic ideas in systemic thinking and practice. It will be of great interest to family therapists, psychotherapists and other mental health professionals.

This book explores how the Budapest School of Psychoanalysis took shape and examines the role played in it by Sandor Ferenczi. It integrates the Hungarian story of the "exile of the Budapest School" with an American perspective on "solidarity in the psychoanalytic movement during the Nazi years".

This volume recounts how personal events in the life of a therapist affect therapy and transference and countertransference. Leading psychotherapists share their personal experiences of the effects of life events such as illness, pregnancy, divorce, and malpractice suits on therapy. Through its poignant descriptions of life's intrusions on the therapeutic process, this volume offers guidance for therapists on practicing in the real world.

This book presents a comprehensive survey of motivations to practice psychotherapy through the extensive review of the available literature and discussion of the result of a qualitative study of therapists conducted by the author."--BOOK JACKET.

Booknews Strean (emeritus, Rutgers U. School of Social Work) explores countertransference reactions in psychotherapeutic work and allows colleagues to comment on his ideas in separate "discussion" sections. He argues that therapists need to confront, acknowledge, and analyze countertransference reactions. Contrary to traditional conceptions of countertransference, he contends that it can be useful to communicate countertransference reactions to patients, viewing the patient and the therapist as equals in dialogue. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Emotional Presence in Psychoanalysis provides a detailed look at the intricacies of attaining emotional presence in psychoanalytic work. John Madonna and a distinguished group of contributors draw on both the relational and modern psychoanalytic schools of thought to examine a variety of different problems commonly experienced in achieving emotional resonance between analyst and patient, setting out ways in which such difficulties may be overcome in psychoanalytic treatment, practical clinical settings and in training contexts. A focused review of relevant comparative literature is followed by chapters featuring individual clinical case studies, each illustrating particularly challenging aspects. The uniqueness of this book lays not simply in the espousal of the commonly accepted importance of emotional resonance between analyst and patient; rather it is in the way in which emotional presence is registered by both participants, requiring a working through, which at times can be not only difficult but dangerous. Such efforts involve a theory which enables the lens to understanding, an effective methodology which guides intervention. The book also calls for the art of the analyst to construct with patients meanings which heal, and possess the heart to persist in commitment despite the odds. Emotional Presence in Psychoanalysis is about patients who suffer, struggle, resist and prevail. It offers distinctive, transparently told accounts of analysts who engage with patients, navigating through states of confusion, hatred and more controversial feelings of love. Emotional Presence in Psychoanalysis features highly compelling material written in an accessible and easily understood style. It will be a valuable resource for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists, psychologists and clinical social workers as well as teachers, trainers and students seeking to understand the power and potential of the analytic process and the resistances to it.