Bion and Intuition in the Clinical Setting

'Of reading the papers in this book we could paraphrase Bion: ‘the object of such extra-sessional work is to provide practice, analogous to the musician’s scales and exercises, to sharpen and develop intuition’. A community of 400 analysts gathered in a warm Barcelona, from Europe and world wide. With them they brought considerable clinical experience, the testing and utilisation of which was sharpened by our "extra-sessional work" together at the conference, and now in the perhaps calmer waters of personal reading.'

Nicola Abel-Hirsch,author of Bion: 365 Quotes (2019) and a training analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society, UK

'In the evolving tradition of memorializing the findings of the bi-annual International Bion Congress, we have a solid contribution from the Bion in Barcelona Congress of 2020. Just like its predecessor, Alisobhani and Corstorphine's Explorations in Bion's 'O,' which commemorated the work of the Bion in Los Angeles Congress of 2014, Antonia Grimalt's editing of Bion and Intuition in the Clinical Setting, delivers exactly what is promised in its title: the work of analysts who have deployed Bion's various epistemological ideas in the analytic situation. Many contributions center on extrapolating the meaning of Bion's often quoted idea: the abandonment of memory and desire in the consulting room. Clearing one's mind of obstructive impediments to direct contact paves the way for the operation of intuition in all the many faceted ways demonstrated by a talented group of analyst.'

Joseph Aguayo, member of The New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles; Guest Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and member of The Psychoanalytic Center of California, Los Angeles, USA.

'Trained intuition is one of the most important tools any analyst possesses. This collection of papers blends clinical intuition with the process of thinking and relating – something Bion felt each analyst could only do for themselves. These papers are stimulating and thought- provoking. Read together, they provide a rich collection of what our colleagues think and do enabling us to see ourselves and our patients more clearly in the session.'

Judy K Eekhoff, PhD; IPA, board-certified supervising and training analyst, USA; author of Trauma & Primitive Mental States (Routledge,2019) and Bion & Primitive Mental States (Routledge,2022).