The techniques of psychotherapy are often given undue emphasis, slighting the importance of the psychotherapist. Research suggests that the same techniques are differently effective when used by equally trained and supervised therapists. Not only are some therapists more effective, irrespective of the type of therapy they practice, but some, because of their personal qualities, may actually harm those with whom they work. This research reflects the vast importance of the personality of the therapist, evoking the question of how a therapist may develop personhood. Aimed at training as well as...

This innovative, interdisciplinary study offers the first comprehensive examination of the psychodynamic theories of artistic creativity and the arts. Neither oversimplifying the complexity of these theories, nor bogging down in pedantic discourse, it honors the depth and richness of the work of Freud, Adler, Kris, Reich, Jung, and several lesser-known theorists, while making their theories readily accessible to the educated reader. After presenting the nature and the role of theory, the work offers each concept as a readily usable template for describing and understanding a work of art,...

The pagan mythology of the Vikings offers a rich metaphor of consciousness. For the first time, the cosmography contained in Norse mythology is presented as a map of human consciousness, a landscape of the soul. Each of the nine worlds of this cosmography is explored as a symbol of a particular type of consciousness, each world emblematic of a particular perspective and way of relating to others.