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A Psychoanalyst on His Own Couch is a biography presenting and celebrating the life and work of Vamık Volkan, a psychoanalyst who has made seminal contributions in applying psychoanalytic thinking to resolving socio-political conflict. Born on the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus, which remains divided into Greek and Turkish sectors, Volkan knows first-hand how socio-political conflict is experienced, maintained and transmitted across generations. This biography written by a Cypriot author and director weaves together Volkan's personal journey, losses, traumas and achievements with the evolution of his work. It allows the reader to follow the thread of how personal and familial themes found their way into new psychoanalytic conceptualizations. It also shines a light on Volkan's influential work on the ground in many conflict zones around the world. I found it significant that this book was written by an author from Cyprus, who also grew up in the midst of ethnic conflict. The book took shape in the garden of Vamık Volkan's summer residence in Northern Cyprus, during long conversations between the two men. As the author Ferhat Atık - himself not a psychoanalyst - asked Vamık Volkan questions about his life and choices and grappled with understanding his psychoanalytic work, Volkan also discovered new connections for himself. The two men agreed that this process virtually served as a couch for the analyst.
The book starts with the presentation of important vignettes from Vamik Volkan's childhood and adolescence. It also presents Volkan's father's memoirs. Volkan's father over his lifetime had experienced the transition of political rule on the island several times, starting with the Ottomans, moving on to the British, then to the Republic of Cyprus and, finally, to the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. We also gain insight into the multiple losses that the family experienced with every change of political power, in terms of financial and social status. Vamık Volkan iden