This revised edition of Psychosomatics Today presents a thorough introduction to the different international schools of psychosomatics, written by leading professionals, and includes three new chapters on current practice. As well as exploring key psychosomatic topics, focusing primarily on the Paris School, the Latin American School, the American school of psychosomatic medicine, and the Kleinian approach to the soma, this revised edition adds a chapter about the German School of Psychosomatics, expands upon allergic object relations, and tackles the contemporary topic of overflow in theory and clinical practice. Spanning a variety of theoretical approaches, the book is illustrated by many clinical case studies which provide an engaging, holistic picture of the field, including adolescent and child therapies. Psychosomatics Today will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists in practice and in training, students of psychiatry and psychology, and paediatricians and medical practitioners seeking a fuller understanding of psychosomatics.

Psychosomatics have classically been of peripheral importance within our wellknown theoretical models, despite the fact that they do have a history in the field of psychoanalysis. This might be owing to the fact that Freud did not explicitly approach psychosomatics and, in consequence, did not put forward any hypotheses within his theoretical body. However, the Freudian concepts of actual neuroses and mixed neuroses are a basis in order to understand psychosomatic phenomena. The same could be said about the connections established with subsequent Freudian theoretical models, such as: the introduction of narcissism, unresolved mourning processes, early trauma and the action of Thanatos.

This authoritative reference surveys mind-body healing concepts and psychosomatic medicine in diverse countries and regions of the world. It provides practical insights on the Western division between medical and mental healing and useful information concerning recent efforts to bridge that enduring divide, particularly in the use of ancient and indigenous healing knowledge in psychosomatic practice. Coverage compares and contrasts current applications of psychosomatic medicine and/or consultation-liaison psychiatry as conducted in such representative countries as France, Britain, China, India, Argentina, Canada, and the United States. And the book predicts how this synthesis of traditions and advances will progress as it: Traces the history and development of psychosomatic medicine. Reviews contributions of traditional healing methods to psychosomatic medicine. Analyzes national styles of psychosomatic medicine as practiced in specific countries. Compares the status of psychosomatic medicine / consultation-liaison psychiatry in various countries. Considers the future of psychosomatic medicine as the field, and the world, evolves. Global Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry expands the knowledge base for psychiatrists, primary care physicians, psychiatric and primary care residents, medical students, behavioral medicine specialists, and others who are interested global and regional perspective on providing biopsychosocial care. It is also relevant for advanced students in health psychology and behavioral medicine, and for professionals in related health fields.

Advances in psychoanalytic theory and technique can be usefully applied in virtually all psychotherapeutic settings, as well as in the management of patients in many nonmental health settings, to enhance understanding of patients. In this book, Steinberg reviews a collection of his own essays, incorporating developments in psychoanalytic theory and new ideas since his essays were published. Chapters clearly describe the evolving psychoanalytic approaches to treatment and illustrate how to use psychoanalytic concepts when working with patients. A variety of clinical situations are covered, including group psychotherapy, partial hospitalization, and individual psychotherapy. This book provides the foundation of analysis and offers varied clinical experiences appealing to a wide range of practitioners and case examples offering descriptive details and interventions. This book will be essential reading for all mental health professionals wanting to improve their working relationships with patients.

Experiencing the Body: A Psychoanalytic Dialogue on Psychosomatics offers a range of perspectives on somatic illness, highlighting key points of convergence and difference between a range of psychoanalytic perspectives, to find a new understanding of this important issue. Including contributions from experienced clinicians, each chapter presents contributions from two authors representing different points of view, before concluding with commentary from a third. It features discussion on key theoretical issues, including drive and affects, the role of the ideal ego, and the function of symbolisation, but also case studies of somatic patients, covering issues around depression and trauma, and exploring similarities and differences between somatic and borderline patients. Key treatment issues are also described such as psychosomatic investigation and the issue of transference and countertransference. The result of a working party on psychosomatics of the European Psychoanalytical Federation, this unique book not only asks whether somatic illness arises from an impoverishment of the psyche or is primarily a form of communication through or by the body, but also tries to go beyond this classical opposition. It will appeal to any psychoanalyst or psychotherapist interested in this contentious and fascinating area.

This book covers the work of psychoanalysts in post WWII France with patients beset by somatic problems with little manifest fantasy life, and how their concept of opératoire continues to inform the theory and practice of working with patients in crisis. The author explores what the new concept has elicited in a community of practitioners – close to the École Psychosomatique de Paris – over a period of some sixty years. As a 'skin for thought' it facilitated change while preserving coherence, gradually beginning to attract further considerations. Important themes have included: the early groundwork necessary for the configuration of fantasy, the importance of a shared imaginary, the role of denial and obliterated memories as a bond between people, emergency measures of a Me cut off from revitalisation, the effects of the rhythms and atmosphere at the workplace on family life, and the consequences of a crisis suppressed for lack of a holding frame. As psychoanalytic discourse adapted to the challenges, the original perspective changed aspect, moving from a systematic evaluation of what the patients did not produce to what the analyst had to fill in to make sense of the situation. Clashing with the terrain, French psychoanalysts raised important problems about psychic anaemia that are stimulating and deserve cross-cultural discussion. This book will appeal to psychoanalysts in practice and training who wish to learn more about this ground-breaking work on memory and trauma, and how to apply it to their own practice.