W. R. Bions Theories of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Introductions to Contemporary Psychoanalysis)

Annie Reiner’s introduction to Wilfred Bion’s theories of mind presents Bion’s intricate ideas in an accessible, original way without compromising their complexity.

Reiner uses comparisons to painting, literature and philosophy, and detailed clinical examples, to provide an experience of Bion’s work that can be felt as well as thought. The book explores many of Bion’s theoretical and clinical innovations, and examines the controversy surrounding his concept of O. Reiner provides evidence of a continuity between Bion’s early ideas and his later, more esoteric work.

W. R. Bion’s Theories of Mind will be essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic candidates, as well as students of psychoanalytic and psychological history, and anyone looking for a readable introduction to Bion’s work.

Annie Reiner is a senior faculty member and training analyst at The Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC) in Los Angeles. Her work was greatly influenced by Wilfred Bion, with whom she studied in the 1970s. She lectures throughout the world, is published in numerous journals and anthologies, and is the author of three psychoanalytic books―The Quest for Conscience & The Birth of the Mind (2009), Bion and Being: Passion and the Creative Mind (2012), and Of Things Invisible to Mortal Sight: Celebrating the Work of James S. Grotstein (Editor) (2017). She maintains a psychoanalytic practice in Beverly Hills, California.