You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Rachman's generous volume on the life and work of Sándor Ferenczi provides contemporary psychoanalysis with a found object. Ferenczi-like in his determination to untangle traumatic history, Rachman presents us with recently retrieved pieces of clinical and biographic material, some of which were held in the previously restricted Freud archives. Within the relational space between Ferenczi and Rachman, a contemporary analyst, significant contributions to the stream of psychoanalytic thinking gain momentum. Rachman invites us into his working space to partake in our own relationship with Ferenczi.
Ferenczi's development as a highly creative analyst is traced in the context of his culture and family relationships. Early origins of self-confidence, the linkages of something daring with a cherished figure, provide appreciation for the person as an innovative humanist. We are brought to know the strength of Ferenczi's attempts to secure Freud's approval throughout the development of their relationship. Remaining true to his beliefs, Rachman describes, Ferenczi suffered Freud's criticism along with the loss of maintaining a position in mainstream psychoanalysis. We experience the lost chance for continued dialogue between them, and what may have arisen from the process in terms of developments in mainstream theory, training methods, and clinical practice.
The book, Rachman's labor of love, represents eighteen years of inspired research and writing. He describes his mission “To retrieve something of value to the analytic and psychotherapeutic communities,” “To right a wrong in the history of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy,” referring to a conspiracy among Freud, Jones, and other members of the original analytic community who suppressed Ferenczi's ideas and methods “To demonstrate that the suppression of his ideas created a vacuum in psychoanalytic thought and practice,” “To rediscover Ferenczi's contributions to working with so called ‘difficult cases’,” “To reinstate Feren