Psychoanalytic Technique and Theory

Dr Judith Mitrani trained as a clinical psychologist and a psychoanalyst in Los Angeles. In her private practice, she specializes in both the treatment and supervision of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy with adults and children.

'Dr Mitrani continues her contributions as a passionate and enriching source advancing the progress of psychoanalysis. Her profound and movingly written clinical reports enlarge appreciation of developmental depths, ever rooting analytic theory in clinical experience. Extending the thinking of earlier pioneers such as Klein, Bion, Bick, and Tustin, she shows how experience of patients with elemental difficulties advances understanding of very early conflictual issues and of clinical technique in a way that applies to all psychoanalytic patients. And she does it all in writing that is a delight to read.'- Warren S. Poland, M.D., recipient of the Sigourney Award, and author of Melting the Darkness'Dr Mitrani's book provides that rare opportunity to listen in on psychoanalytic thinking and practice at its most exquisitely sensitive to the inner life of both patient and analyst as they attempt to talk with one another about the most fundamental truths of the patient's experience. The book builds upon the work of Freud, Klein, Bion, and Tustin, but goes well beyond that body of work to offer a conception of analytic theory and technique that is uniquely Mitrani's. It is a pleasure to learn from this very fine teacher.'- Thomas H. Ogden, psychoanalyst, and author of This Art of Psychoanalysis and Projective Identification and Psychotherapeutic Technique

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSABOUT THE AUTHORFOREWORD by Neville SymingtonINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER ONE Listening for the emergence of infantile dependencyCHAPTER TWO "A rose by any other name": working analytically in the face of authoritative statementsCHAPTER THREE Some technical implications of Klein's concept of "premature ego development"CHAPTER FOUR Taking the transference: some technical implications from three papers by Wilfred BionCHAPTER FIVE Excogitating Bion's Cogitations: further implications for techniqueCHAPTER SIX The past presented: bodily centered protections in puberty and adolescenceCHAPTER SEVEN "Trying to Enter The Long Black Branches": some technical extensions for the analysis of autistic states in adults from the work of Frances TustinCHAPTER EIGHT Minding the gap between neuroscientific and psychoanalytic understanding of autismCHAPTER NINE Surviving unthinkable trauma: dissociation, delusion, and hallucination in Life of PiREFERENCESINDEX