Published in the late 70s, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy edited by George D. Goldman and Donald S. Milman has been an entertaining if out of date read. The book is certainly pro-Freud, and mentions many theories, with a particular chapter on resistance and transference.
I quote "Sooner or later the patient cones to the additional realization that everyone else is in the same boat as she. Parents, spouses, lovers, friends -- all living out transferences and repetition compulsions with her and with each other. She induces others to play allotted roles in the drama of her repetition compulsions. Simultaneously they are inducing her to play an allotted role in their dramas, and none of the players is aware that old scripts are being repeatedly acted out with minor variations."
"Let us suppose that temporary despair resolves itself and the patient is ready for the next phase of therapy. There is another discouraging discovery. Repetition compulsions do not vanish with awareness of their existence. The past hangs on stubbornly. It must be caught in the action, so to speak, again and again, mulled over and renounced afresh in the light of new memories and deep understandings." (Pages 58 - 59)
Also known as working through coined by Freud in 1914.
Just under the description is a poem written by Mary Solberg, that I cannot find published anywhere else. I don't tend to like much poetry, but I feel this deserves to be shared.
My mother's gone into hiding
behind you.
Your motives are agonizing replays
of mine, in search of mother
behind me.
I can see the shadow of her martyred smile,
long suffering, knowing, pained,
and hear the echo of her voice.
You should know better
(and so, dear God, should I, so should I).
We take such trouble to copyright
our own translations of the same ancient texts,
you'd think we'd written them ourselves.
But no, we only spend ourselves
trying to come up with that one new word
that will change the meaning just enough
to make a difference.
- Mary Solberg
No comments:
Post a Comment