Reinventing Psychoanalysis for the Great Unknown

This book explores extreme experiences in psychoanalysis and examines how to work with and understand such experiences both theoretically and practically.

It invites readers into new, transformative quantum frontiers of psychoanalytic thought and clinical experience. Taking her profound work as the heart of the conversation, Eshel and a distinguished range of authors examine the essence of the great unknown in diverse realms of psychoanalysis—from massively traumatic states and enigmatic telepathic dreams to the sudden, shattering death of a patient. They focus on the decisive shift from classical psychoanalysis and its epistemological boundaries to the traumatic, the catastrophic, and the unknowable—charting an ontological–experiential, quantum frontier of analytic work. Inspired by Winnicott and Bion, yet reaching beyond them, these contributions open both mind and heart to a dimension of radical presence and deeply transformative forms of analytic oneness, making possible encounters with even the most seemingly unreachable patients.

This is essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists seeking to extend the reach of psychoanalytic treatment and to work with some of the most difficult clinical situations.