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In the unrelenting work to understand and transform the patient's psychic set-up, the analyst always moves on different planes, concerning his relationship with the patient and, in particular, his mental organization. If the activity of the mind can only be understood at a conscious and mindful level, it is the deep levels that are at stake in the constant effort to reveal the unconscious movements underlying the analysis.
This book is a comparative study of the different traditions of psychoanalysis in Italy, which has always been very interested in not only the deep dynamics of the relationship with the patient, but also the analyst's inner movements.
This is true for countertransference considered as a psychic movement following a specific treatment; it is especially true for the analyst's self-analysis. This is an ongoing inner process for the analyst, which is triggered and sustained by his analytical work and by the unexplored parts of his personal analysis. The fundamental issue presented in this study—that can be considered as an opportunity to stop and rethink within a broader framework of thoughts and considerations—is, the editors state, the possibility to ‘translate the subjective clinical experience into a shared experience’ (p. 7). It is an old issue, which is, however, always present in the psychoanalytical debate. Moreover, it is an issue that cannot be easily settled, even with a more sophisticated theoretical approach: there is still a wide gap—which may never be completely bridged—between clinical experience and theoretical generalization and formalization, notwithstanding the progress in the field of psychoanalytical research. In fact, it concerns the way in which the analyst thinks of and works through his own personal experience and therefore it refers to the origin of thought formation. According to the editors, by its very nature, psychoanalysis cannot be considered as a formalized science. However, the strength and originality of the analytica