This paper is an introductory review of a complex area of development and pathology. Psychoanalyt... more This paper is an introductory review of a complex area of development and pathology. Psychoanalytic thinking about the mind-body relationship originated in Freud's studies of hysteria, in which the patient's body exhibited the unresolved mental conflicts. Subsequent psychoanalytic research into early development focused on the emergence of the psychological self from the early mother-infant relationship with its predominantly bodily experiences. The vicissitudes of the mind-body relationship have to be considered within the context of development of object-relationships and affect regulation.
In this paper the authors give a summary of their Contemporary Freudian approach to clinical work... more In this paper the authors give a summary of their Contemporary Freudian approach to clinical work. The main theoretical perspectives are described followed by the clinical principles guiding clinical work with adults. A clinical example is then given to illustrate how these principles inform the analyst's listening and formulation of interpretations. Our Contemporary Freudian approach has developed over many years of clinical work and study and our immersion in the life of the British Psychoanalytic Society with its different schools of thought. It is based on the Freudian tradition: the conceptualization of the dynamic unconscious and the role of unconscious phantasy which informs our understanding of the unfolding analytic process. The Freudian developmental perspective (further elaborated by Anna Freud and others) is the essential basis on which we understand the patient's history and current mental functioning. The centrality of the body with its sexual and aggressive drives that have to be integrated into the individual's self and object representations over the course of development, remains fundamental in our clinical approach.
SUMMARY In this paper I consider the uses of the transference and countertransference dynamics in... more SUMMARY In this paper I consider the uses of the transference and countertransference dynamics in the assessment process. Patients referred to an NHS Outpatient Psychotherapy Department are discussed. In the Department the assessor will usually not be the patient's therapist. In this situation I suggest that the transference relationship is not the sole or central focus of interpretation, unless the transference is manifested as a resistance to the exploration of the patient's unconscious conflicts underlying the presenting symptoms and difficulties. However, the transference relationship and countertransference responses alongside the patient's history form the basis of the assessor's understanding and dynamic formulation.
This paper is an introductory review of a complex area of development and pathology. Psychoanalyt... more This paper is an introductory review of a complex area of development and pathology. Psychoanalytic thinking about the mind-body relationship originated in Freud's studies of hysteria, in which the patient's body exhibited the unresolved mental conflicts. Subsequent psychoanalytic research into early development focused on the emergence of the psychological self from the early mother-infant relationship with its predominantly bodily experiences. The vicissitudes of the mind-body relationship have to be considered within the context of development of object-relationships and affect regulation.
In this paper the authors give a summary of their Contemporary Freudian approach to clinical work... more In this paper the authors give a summary of their Contemporary Freudian approach to clinical work. The main theoretical perspectives are described followed by the clinical principles guiding clinical work with adults. A clinical example is then given to illustrate how these principles inform the analyst's listening and formulation of interpretations. Our Contemporary Freudian approach has developed over many years of clinical work and study and our immersion in the life of the British Psychoanalytic Society with its different schools of thought. It is based on the Freudian tradition: the conceptualization of the dynamic unconscious and the role of unconscious phantasy which informs our understanding of the unfolding analytic process. The Freudian developmental perspective (further elaborated by Anna Freud and others) is the essential basis on which we understand the patient's history and current mental functioning. The centrality of the body with its sexual and aggressive drives that have to be integrated into the individual's self and object representations over the course of development, remains fundamental in our clinical approach.
SUMMARY In this paper I consider the uses of the transference and countertransference dynamics in... more SUMMARY In this paper I consider the uses of the transference and countertransference dynamics in the assessment process. Patients referred to an NHS Outpatient Psychotherapy Department are discussed. In the Department the assessor will usually not be the patient's therapist. In this situation I suggest that the transference relationship is not the sole or central focus of interpretation, unless the transference is manifested as a resistance to the exploration of the patient's unconscious conflicts underlying the presenting symptoms and difficulties. However, the transference relationship and countertransference responses alongside the patient's history form the basis of the assessor's understanding and dynamic formulation.
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Papers by Joan Schachter