Emotional Presence in Psychoanalysis: Theory and Clinical Applications
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.
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John Madonna is a licensed psychologist, training analyst, faculty member, and teacher at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. He has written and presented papers on the treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. He is co-author of two books: The Play Therapy Treatment of Sexually Abused Children and Treating Police Stress.
"A rich anthology of writings by some of the most interesting thinkers in psychoanalysis today, Emotional Presence in Psychoanalysis beautifully conveys the therapeutic value of a consistent, focused attention by the analyst on the turbulent feelings of love and hate generated in both patient and analyst in the psychoanalytic session. It makes a powerful argument that the therapist's ability to acknowledge and tolerate all feelings frees the patient to resolve resistances to feeling, thinking, remembering and saying everything, and it is this freedom that is ultimately curative."-Lucy Holmes, Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, New York Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, author of Wrestling with Destiny; The Promise of Psychoanalysis.
"Particularly in reading the chapter Darkness of Night, dealing with the issue of emotional transparency between analyst and patient during times of the analyst's illness and potential demise, I was moved by Dr. Madonna's own descriptions of the loss of his father and his analyst and how those losses affected him. Beautifully written and fascinating."-Carl Fulwiler, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School.
"In this rich and insightful book, Dr. Madonna and his colleagues courageously share honest and often vulnerable descriptions of the psychoanalytic process. We are invited to learn from their wisdom and reflect upon the extent of our true emotional presence in relationships. As a clinician who enters in the therapeutic relationship with a cognitive-behavioral "theoretical compass," I was challenged at times to step out of my well-trodden path onto an unfamiliar territory. This was a journey well worth taking, and I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in exploration of and growth through healing relationships."-Monika Kolodziej, Ph.D, Clinical Psychologist.
