Knowing What Psychoanalysts Do and Doing What Psychoanalysts Know

I thank David Tuckett for the deep experience reading his book has evoked in me. It is a profound, comprehensive analysis of the present crisis in the theory and practice of psychoanalytic technique. The penetrating, objective, and fair description of the dominant alternative models of psychoanalytic interventions upgrades the very level of the respective controversial discussions.

-- Otto F. Kernberg, M.D., director, Personality Disorders Institute, Cornell Medical Center; president, International Psychoanalytical Association

A ground-breaking exploration of psychoanalytic practice. Through their meticulous research, analysis of workshop discussions, and psychoanalytical writings, the authors offer a shared theoretical framework for self-enquiry. I participated in the work that led to this book and the one that preceded it, always gaining a better understanding of the models with which my colleagues worked and the model I used myself. This book challenges and guides psychoanalysts to reflect on their practice, fostering a deeper understanding of the analytic situation, recognition of the unconscious, and transformative interventions. A must-read for professionals seeking to enhance their therapeutic approach and contribute to the evolution of psychoanalysis.

-- Antonino Ferro, MD, past president, Italian Psychoanalytic Society

This pioneering work from the Comparative Clinical Methods (CCM) project accomplishes Freud’s wished for Junktim of practice and theory—elaborating the traditional case study into a research method with group validation of findings. Using case reports of well know analysts, the CCM team develops and demonstrates a new theoretical frame that all clinicians will find illuminating.

-- William Glover, PhD, past president, American Psychoanalytic Association

We are invited to follow the creative work of an international group of psychoanalysts researching the different basic modes of doing analysis, leading up to the identification of those significant moments when the unconscious maximally reveals itself in the disturbing phenomena which occur unexpectedly. A unique and fascinating book.

-- Dana Birksted Breed, PhD, training and supervising analyst, British Psychoanalytic Society; former editor, International Journal of Psychoanalysis and the New Library of Psychoanalysis

In this ground-breaking book, David Tuckett et al. show how their sophisticated, nuanced research model applied to the clinical material from the long-standing Comparative Clinical Methods Working Party allows them to present a sophisticated comparison of different psychoanalytic methods. It is beautifully written with numerous clinical examples that are discussed in an unbiased way. Every psychoanalyst can benefit from reading this book.

-- Fred Busch, PhD, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute

Psychoanalytic literature has accrued a vast bibliography on theory, but there is relatively little in comparison when it comes to exploring what ordinary psychoanalytic sessions look like and how theoretical assumptions bleed into practice. This book splendidly fills this gap by taking the reader into the denseness and complexities of analytic practice through a rigorous method of study and comparison. It should not be missed!

-- Beth and Elias Mallet de Rocha Barros, training and supervising analysts, Brazilian Society of Sao P