Psychoanalysis and Other Matters

'Dr. Judith Edwards really knows how to throw an intellectual party! This remarkable book, brimming with contributions from clinicians, sculptors, film-makers, anthropologists, teachers and cyberneticians, explores the complexities of depth psychology from innumerable perspectives, and represents a true tribute to the profundity of psychoanalysis - the gift that keeps on giving. One will feel infinitely more intelligent after having read this book.' - Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow at the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London; Trustee of the Freud Museum, London, UK. His books include Tea with Winnicott, Coffee with Freud and, most recently, How to Flourish as a Psychotherapist 'Judith Edwards's work has always been marked by a wide range of cultural reference. In this volume, she brings together stimulating chapters on topics as seemingly diverse as mourning rituals in ancient China, detailed technical considerations in child psychotherapy and recursion in literature, psychoanalysis and chaos theory. All the contributors subscribe to the centrality of careful observation and, even more importantly, to that of an open mind. This collection will be essential reading for anyone concerned with the development of ideas, and will nourish the clinical imagination of practitioners.' - Maria Rhode, Emeritus Professor of Child Psychotherapy, Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK 'This book is rooted in the practice of observation. Judith Edwards's contributors, from a range of disciplines, address issues of how we see, and the role theory plays in seeing. In her introduction, Edwards advocates bridges rather than walls between psychoanalytic thinking and other fields, whereby cross-validation of rich networks of thoughts... increases their strength and broadens our horizons . The book fulfils this promise.' - Michael Brearley, Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society, London, UK 'The image that came to mind when reading this book was Paul Klee's 'Revolving House'. The painting captures something of the spirit of this engaging and thought-provoking collection which gathers together in dynamic conversation different perspectives on the central and vitalising importance that the creative play of 'relationships between' plays in psychic health. These evocative essays lightly link across cultures, histories, places, bodies, therapy, science and the arts creating a deeply felt resonant weave that addresses what it means to be 'human'. The book is a testament to the values of the 'interdisciplinary mind' and holding the question 'open'.1 - Amanda Dowd, Jungian analyst, Australia and New Zealand Society of Jungian Analysts; Deputy Editor of the Journal of Analytical Psychology