Learning from our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Learning from our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy examines some of the problems that are inherent to psychoanalysis, particularly in view of the analyst's claim to know the patient's mind better than the patient which can blind the analyst to those times when he is in error. Patrick Casement examines the processes of supervision and internal supervision by which practitioners can develop their awareness of the patient's experiences within the clinical encounter, and particularly considers the issue of mistakes and enactments by the analyst. Illustrated with numerous clinical descriptions and taking into account psychoanalysis over the past 100 years, Casement makes a strong case for being open minded rather than dogmatic in clinical practice. This book will be invaluable to practitioners, trainers and trainees of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, and is readily accessible to the educated general reader.

Table of Contents:
Rayner, Foreword. Introduction. Getting There - The Unfolding Potential of Psychoanalysis, A Personal View. Towards Autonomy - Some Thoughts on Psychoanalytic Supervision. The Experience of a Session - Trying to Communicate It. Mistakes in Psychoanalysis and Trying to Avoid Them. Some Hazards in Being Helpful in Psychotherapy. Re-enactment and Resolution. To Hold or Not to Hold a Patient's Hand - Further Reflections. Impingement and Space - Issues Technique. The Unknown Beyond the Known. Getting Where? Some Pressures on the Analyst for Physical Contact During the Reliving of an Early Psychic Trauma.

About the Author :
Patrick Casement is a psychoanalyst and therapist, and is a member of the British Psycho-Analytical Society and of the British Assocation of Psychotherapists. He is the author of On Learning from the Patient(1985) and Further Learning from the Patient(1990).

Review :
"Patrick Casement's new book is a unique and rare gem. Bringing the clinical encounter alive as only he can do, Casement illustrates convincingly, and with great wisdom, a creative and flexible approach to patients, to the treatment process and to the analyst's inevitable errors, that is invaluable to clinical work. A master class taught by a master clinician ... a book that must be read by every practicing therapist." - Theodore J. Jacobs, MD Patrick Casement's new book is a unique and rare gem. Bringing the clinical encounter alive as only he can do, Casement illustrates convincingly, and with great wisdom, a creative and flexible approach to patients, to the treatment process and to the analyst's inevitable errors, that is invaluable to clinical work. A master class taught by a master clinician ... a book that must be read by every practicing therapist. - Theodore J. Jacobs, MD The books strengths lie in its clinical acumen and in providing the reader with a wealth of case examples. The author's candid sharing of his clinical experiences act as a form of supervision for the reader. It offers a master class in object relations that includes fine tuning of techniques that we commonly use to analyse the transference. - Ricardo Stramer, The Journal of the British Association of Psychotherapists