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The Norwegian analyst Anders Zachrisson starts his introduction with the following sentences:
My journey is approaching the point that Shakespeare described in his Seven ages of man:
“ … The last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” (1)
Facing this inevitable reality, I have surrendered to a wish to round off my professional life by publishing a selection of my papers from the last couple of decades. I do it for my friends, for myself, and to handle the flight of time.
This introduction bears resemblance to Frank Sinatra’s famous song from 1969 “I Did it my Way”, which is alluded to in the book’s title: “Psychoanalysis my Way”. This song starts with the lines:
And now the end is nearAnd so I face the final curtainMy friend, I’ll say it clearI’ll state my case of which I’m certain.
This book is the fruit of a whole analyst’s lifetime. At first sight one may shrink back from this selection of papers of a single analyst, published during the last 22 years. A question may cross one’s mind: is this another collection of papers which may be of interest only to a local institute? Reading the book, however, quickly dispels such apprehensions. This book does not just consist of a loose collection of papers. On the contrary, it demonstrates how an analyst deals in depth with his professional life and his lifelong professional development. It resembles in an existential way Frank Sinatra’s famous song in which the singer deals with his life. It is this existential dimension that makes the book so fascinating. The picture on the book cover shows vaults connected in an Escher-like fashion and a motto at the beginning of the book very aptly serves as an introduction: