From the Editors

Topics in Psychoanalysis: Theoretical and Clinical Considerations

In his review of Coming to Life in the Consulting Room: Toward a New Analytic Sensibility by Thomas Ogden, Jules Kerman highlights Ogden's profound departure from traditional psychoanalytic approaches. Kerman acknowledges Ogden's skill in synthesizing Winnicott's and Bion's concepts to propose a transformative paradigm shift in analytic practice. He commends Ogden for emphasizing the importance of attunement to the patient's immediate emotional experience over interpretation of unconscious fantasies. Kerman notes Ogden's insistence on spontaneity and genuine engagement in the therapeutic process, rejecting rigid technique in favor of a nuanced, responsive approach. Overall, Kerman lauds Ogden's book for its invitation to explore the ineffable aspects of subjective experience and its transformative vision of human understanding and growth within the analytic encounter.

In her review of Howard Levine's Affect, Representation and Language: Between the Silence and the Cry, Michelle Flax highlights Levine's profound reorientation of psychoanalytic practice, shifting focus from uncovering neurotic conflicts to nurturing the capacity for nonneurotic states of mind. Drawing on a wealth of psychoanalytic thought, Levine emphasizes the significance of psychic representation, particularly in patients with developmental trauma. He challenges traditional approaches by advocating for the construction of psychic structure in patients with weak or absent representation. Central to Levine's thesis is the concept of trauma, which disrupts the psyche's ability to represent experiences, leading to symptoms like affect storms and somatic illness. Flax notes Levine's integration of various psychoanalytic theories and his personal reflections, underscoring the importance of intersubjective engagement in the therapeutic process. Flax lauds Levine's book as a

significant contribution to the field, urging readers