From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude

‘The most intelligently planned and accomplished book of essays on a topic I have encountered—either in the field of psychology or the humanities—this is a work for everyone and deserves a broad readership. Comprehensive and creative, this study of loneliness and solitude is a treasure-house of ideas and a “must read”.’

-- Christopher Bollas, author of The Shadow of the Object

‘What a necessary and welcome book during these challenging times! As an artist, I particularly enjoyed the perspectives proposing that places of loneliness relate to physical spaces which can be a counterpart for creativity and cure against loneliness.’

-- Jane McAdam Freud, artist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors

‘This book shows us why psychoanalysis exists and reminds us that it is indispensable. How else are we to understand such profoundly important things?’

-- Professor Mark Solms, Research Chair, International Psychoanalytical Association

‘This is a remarkable book in bringing together such a wide range of subtle, scholarly, and eloquent accounts of solitude and loneliness. The 2020s is a time of flourishing for research on aloneness, and this is a superb psychoanalytic framing of the many disciplines and cultures – religious, artistic, clinical, social and political – of the positive and negative varieties and meanings of being alone. Alive to the historical, literary, and musical expressions of solitude, and with detailed accounts of therapeutic encounters, From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude will provide excellent dialogic company for clinicians and for all interested in aloneness.’

-- Professor Julian Stern, President of the International Society for Research on Solitude, co-editor of the Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness

‘Highlighting the pervasive presence of painful loneliness and a comparable absence of contemplative solitude in our modern society, Aleksandar Dimitrijević and Michael B. Buchholz offer us a multifaceted text on these important human experiences. They have enlisted a roster of distinguished international colleagues who, together with the two editors themselves, elucidate various aspects of loneliness in adults and children, deploying the perspectives of epidemiology, neurology, child developmental studies, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis. The result is a nuanced tapestry of thought that underscores the tragedy of psychic isolation as well as the triumph of regenerative retreat from the cacophony of constant interaction. This is a superb addition to our literature!’

-- Salman Akhtar, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, Training and Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia

‘[B]oth necessary and deeply engaging. […] Though common themes run throughout and there is much agreement across all chapters and authors, each chapter nevertheless offers a unique contribution to the volume. This timely and accessible work is highly recommended for students of psychology, seasoned practitioners, or just curious readers trying to make sense of the paradoxes of modern life.’

-- G. Seror III, Dickinson State University, 'CHOICE' May 2023

'splendid book [...] [The authors] engage the reader in a vast and articulate journey around the places of solitude and loneliness ranging from world history to the analyst’s consulting room, without disconnecting it from the quest for a silent empty space in which the sound of being resonates.'

-- Carlo Bonomi, PhD, 'The American Journal of Psychoanalysis', 2023

'Taken together, the chapters, without claiming completeness, help the reader to capture the complexity of the experiences of loneliness and solitude, as well as those in between. The approach of the book in using multiple perspectives, combined with a consistently clinical psychoanalytic lens, distinguishes it from most references on the topic, which typically examine these multifaceted phenomena from a single perspective. From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude: Cultural, Social and Psychoanalytic Perspectives is an outstanding work that deserves to be considered as a go-to resource on loneliness and solitude for psychoanalytically oriented clinicians, researchers, and scholars, as well as for lay people interested in the topic. More generally, the themes of this book deserve to be the subject of open, informed, and public discussion to enable society to address them appropriately.'

-- Alberto Stefana, 'International Forum of Psychoanalysis',