Enactment: Toward a New Approach to the Therapeutic Relationship (Library of Clinical Psychoanalysis)

For many therapists it has replaced previous action terms such as acting in and acting out. Something new has been captured by this concept: a recognition of a process that may involve words but goes beyond words. For some, enactment addresses a continuous undercurrent in the interaction between patient and therapist in the realm of intersubjectivity. Others ask whether this concept adds either clarity or a new perspective to the clinical situation. This volume addresses the questions: Does the current focus on enactments entail a shift in our model of therapeutic change? Are enactments essential? Can they be dangerous, and if so, under what circumstances? Enactment is essential reading for all psychotherapists.

Steven J. Ellman, Ph.D., is Past Co-Chair of the Independent Psychoanalytic Societies. He is Past President and Program Chair of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR) in New York City, Professor in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the City University of New York, and faculty member and supervisor in the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. His books include Freud's Technique Papers: A Contemporary Perspective, The Mind in Sleep and The Neurobiological and Developmental Basis for Psychotherapeutic Intervention. Dr. Ellman is in private practice in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in New York City.