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.
Peter Giovacchini has become known for his work with severely disturbed patients, through his prolific contributions to the literature. Sometimes attacked for his efforts to widen the scope of analysis, he persists in believing “decisions about treatability cannot be made on the basis of standard clichés” (214). His commitment is a beacon for others dedicated to working analytically with profoundly troubled patients.
Giovacchini is at his best when discussing clinical experiences. Here his writing is clear, straightforward, and free of jargon. Intriguing cases and conundrums are described in an honest, down-to-earth manner. He does not shrink from presenting cases where the outcome was ambiguous or less than optimal.
The book is somewhat less satisfying when it ventures into more experience-distant, theoretical domains. These discussions tend to be less illuminating, less convincing, and less engaging. In these conceptual thickets, a reader seeking enlightenment may feel some identification with the errant therapist on a chaotic quest (the book's subtitle), although Giovacchini intended the phrase to apply to others' quixotic efforts to wrap old issues in new philosophical language, and their tendency to elevate the muddled results, usually based on minimal clinical data, to the status of new paradigms.
Occasionally, there may be a minor error (e.g., Giovacchini states that Freud's grandson, in his fort-da game, was endeavouring to master his father's comings and goings),