Learning from our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy examines some of the problems that are inherent to psychoanalysis, particularly in view of the analyst’s claim to know the patient’s mind better than the patient which can blind the analyst to those times when he is in error. Patrick Casement examines the processes of supervision and internal supervision by which practitioners can develop their awareness of the patient’s experiences within the clinical encounter, and particularly considers the issue of mistakes and enactments by the analyst. Illustrated with numerous clinical descriptions and taking into account psychoanalysis over the past 100 years, Casement makes a strong case for being open minded rather than dogmatic in clinical practice.
This book will be invaluable to practitioners, trainers and trainees of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, and is readily accessible to the educated general reader.