Blazing a trail unprecedented in Freud research, Ilse Grubrich-Simitis turns to Freud's original manuscripts to provide a fresh and authentic view of his methods of working, his psychological states, the events of his life, and the development of his thinking. This book is at once a study of Freud's creativity, an authoritative commentary on previously unexplored aspects of his life and work, and an important reference on his own texts.

In the well known myth of Pandora, hope was the last and most needed gift at the bottom of a box of myriad misfortunes let loose on an unsuspecting world. For most human beings hope is a positive benefit. But in this work, Anna Potamianou shows how in the borderline patient it can become an omnipotent means of denying reality. Indeed, in such individuals, any state of mind or feeling can take on the status of an object, which is then used as a barrier against their fear of change. The author gives both clinical and literary examples of how this happens and goes on to discuss the connection...

Is psychoanalysis a type of literature? Can telling 'stories' help us to get at the truth?

Psychoanalysis as Therapy and Storytelling examines psychoanalysis from two perspectives - as a cure for psychic suffering, and as a series of stories told between patient and analyst.

Antonino Ferro uses numerous clinical examples to investigate how narration and interpretation are interconnected in the analytic session. He draws on and develops Bion's theories to present a novel perspective on subjects such as:

• psychoanalysis as a particular form of...

Antonino Imbasciati argues that the reason Freud's theory has persisted in our culture is that Freud offers not only a fascinating description but also an explanation of what happens in the human mind.
Drawing on Freud's theory and recent developments in cognitive science, "The Protomental System" presents a new and original explanatory theory of the beginnings and development of the human mind, with particular reference to foetal and neonatal psychic development, commencing with an examination of the foetal psyche. The book compares and integrates the contributions of psychoanalysis with...

The Italian Seminars, previously unpublished in English, comprises lectures W.R. Bion gave in Rome in 1977. The volume consists of questions from the floor and Bion's fascinating, and sometimes controversial, answers. The lectures are divided in two; the first part was organized by the Italian Psychoanalytical Society and the second by the Group Research of Via Polliolo. Bion's replies examine subjects as diverse as difficulties in the interaction between the therapist and the patient; music and psychoanalysis; non-verbal communication in the consulting room; and methodology in...

The central theme of the book is concerned with a clear differentiation between child analysis proper and analytical child psychotherapy, and a detailed account of the controversies on technique between Anna Freud and Melanie Klein in the 1920s and 1930s. It takes into account the historical background against which child psychoanalysis developed, especially World War II and the Nazi regime in Germany. The author also looks at the way child analysis developed in specific institutions, such as The Hampstead Child Therapy Course in London, and in specific areas such as the spread of child...