Analyst of the Imagination

Jenny Pearson developed a career in drama and journalism, before writing on the relationship between psychotherapy and drama. She is a trained counsellor with the WPF and a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with AIP. She is married and has two children and two grandchildren.

'In an era in which psychotherapy and psychoanalysis have become increasingly bureaucratised, and true innovation becomes increasingly rare, the late Charles Rycroft remains in our memories as a beacon of both inspiration and independence, unshackled by dogma and unimpressed by party politics. One of the very first psychoanalysts to write regularly for the general public, Rycroft helped convey psychological ideas to a wide audience, often risking the disapprobation of his more conservative colleagues in the process.'Jenny Pearson has produced a beautiful festschrift, which celebrates the work of Dr. Rycroft, reminding us of the soul, the passion, and the intelligence of one of the outstanding figures in twentieth century British psychoanalysis. This poignant and readable portrait deserves a prominent position in the library of every mental health professional.'- Brett Kahr, Senior Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health, Centre for Child Mental Health, London, and Winnicott Clinic Senior Research Fellow in Psychotherapy

• Introduction -- Charles Rycroft: a memoir -- Outstanding within the “impossible” profession -- Charles Rycroft’s contribution to contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy -- Charles Rycroft and ablation -- The development of Charles Rycroft’s thought -- Insiders and outsiders -- The question of independence in psychotherapy -- Rebel Rycroft -- A brief history of illusion: Milner, Winnicott, Rycroft -- On bridging continuity and precision: the hidden music of psychoanalysis -- Charles Rycroft and the historical perspective -- The innocence of Charles Rycroft -- Glimpses of a life -- Further glimpses -- The last word …