A Primer of the Psychoanalytic Theory of Herbert Silberer

Herbert Silberer was an early member of Freud’s Vienna Group whose work was unique and prodigious; yet, owing to his expulsion from the psychoanalytic community, his contributions have been dismissed for close to a century. Based on original documents and primary sources, A Primer of the Psychoanalytic Theory of Herbert Silberer: What Silberer Said recovers the psychoanalytic theory of Herbert Silberer, revealing its connections to philosophy, theology and transcendence, and examining how his writings influenced C. G. Jung.

The book begins with an overview of what is known of Silberer’s life, before commencing with an exploration of his writings. Charles Corliss covers topics including Silberer’s groundbreaking construct of the hypnagogic phenomenon, the process and meaning of symbolism and symbol formation, alchemy and its connection to his major work Problems of Mysticism and Symbolism, the use of symbols in Freemasonry and his influential understanding of dreams and their meaning. The book also explores Silberer’s complex relationship with the field of psychoanalysis, including his opposition to many psychoanalytic assumptions.

Introducing and assessing the main contributions of Silberer’s work, this book will be of interest to analytical psychologists and Jungian psychotherapists in practice and training, as well as to academics and students of Jungian studies and the history of psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic studies, theology, philosophy and the history of psychology.