Esoteric Traces in the Formation of Psychoanalysis

John Boyle is a UKCP registered integrative psychotherapist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. He has a PhD in Psychoanalytic Studies from the University of Essex and an M.A. in Western esotericism from the University of Exeter. He lives in Northern Ireland.

‘This is a stunning expression of what I have called the superhumanities—a profound fusion (because they are already fused) of critical theory, reflexivity, and altered states toward (or from) the future, here as a deep history of an esoteric psychoanalysis and a vastly expanded human subject that will shock and wow.’ Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else“In a work combining encyclopedic erudition with an inspired vision, John Boyle provides ‘a theoretical exposition of how esoteric “traces” came to be “encrypted” within psychoanalysis during the course of its formation, resulting in the development of an Orphic trajectory whose effects have persisted within psychoanalysis to this day.’ Boyle’s range of reference extends from the ancient and modern prehistory of psychoanalysis, through the ‘occult milieu of the Budapest School,’ exemplified by Ferenczi, Severn, and Nandor Fodor, to the ‘beams of intense darkness’ emitted by the later Bion, Matte-Blanco, and James Grotstein. Esoteric Traces in the Formation of Psychoanalysis is both a grand tour through the history of ideas and a tour de force.”Peter L. Rudnytsky, Head, Department of Academic and Professional Affairs, American Psychoanalytic Association, and author of Mutual Analysis: Ferenczi, Severn, and the Origins of Trauma Theory and Psychoanalysis and the Patriarchal Tradition: Augustine to Milton‘Esoteric Traces in the Formation of Psychoanalysis: Before and After Science is a profoundly important and thought-provoking work that draws attention to crucial yet often overlooked chapters in the history of psychoanalysis. No reconstruction of the history of psychoanalysis can be considered complete without engaging with the insights this book brings to light. John Boyle presents his argument with clarity and conviction, offering a compelling invitation to reconsider the foundations and formation of psychoanalysis.’Professor Júlia Gyimesi, Vice President of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism

• 1. Methodological Considerations 2. Dark Precursors to an Esoteric Psychoanalysis 3. Before and After Science 4. From Metapsychology to Magnetic Gnosis 5. From Mystical Gnosis to Esoteric Technē 6. Conclusion—Who Is the Dreamer Who Dreams the Dream?