New Books in Psychoanalysis Caron Harrang, "Body as Psychoanalytic Object: Clinical Applications from Winnicott to Bion and Beyond" (Routledge, 2021)
Dec 29, 2021
Karen Harang, a board-certified psychoanalyst from Seattle, along with Drew Tillotson and Nancy Winters, explore the vital connection between body and psyche in therapy. They discuss how early trauma can be embodied, the shift from viewing the body as an enemy to an ally, and the importance of non-verbal communication in healing. They also examine the changes in psychoanalytic practices during the COVID pandemic, emphasizing the need for bodily awareness in therapeutic contexts and the profound impact it has on emotional health.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Body-Mind Unity Concept
- The term "body-mind" was chosen to emphasize the indivisibility of body and mind instead of treating body as a separate object.
- This concept builds on Winnicott's psychosoma and counters dualistic thinking within psychoanalysis.
Understanding Catastrophic Change
- Bion's concept of catastrophic change is uncertainty if emotional transformation is destructive or constructive.
- Surviving this apex requires a containing object to hold unbearable emotional tension.
Change Feels Catastrophic in Analysis
- Drew Tillotson recounted a patient whose unprocessed mourning intensified bodily illness and emotional deadness.
- Coming alive in analysis felt catastrophic because it threatened the patient's familiar but painful identity.
