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Vamik D. Volkan has had a distinguished career as psychoanalyst, supervisor, teacher, lecturer, and author.1 He is also an eminent international peacemaker who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times.2 His extraordinary accomplishments have been combined to produce an original, clinically oriented textbook that is a valuable addition to the literature on psychoanalytic technique.
Volkan's text expands instruction in basic principles of psychoanalytic technique to include an awareness of the importance of the cultural background of each analysand. He especially focuses on the impact of trauma on personality development; such trauma may be caused by either family or societal upheaval. He also investigates the effects of multi-generational transmission of trauma.
Volkan's sources include clinical presentations of his own work and that of his supervisees. Numerous extensive clinical examples illustrate a variety of theoretical concepts and points of technique. His presentations draw the reader in, so that she/he feels included in the life of each analysis, all the while absorbing technical principles. Volkan teaches by showing how an analysis unfolds, which helps us empathize with the experiences of patient, analyst, and supervisor.
The book is divided into four parts and contains twenty-four chapters. Four of the chapters are summaries of entire analyses, presenting the following patients: Gable (chapter 11), used to demonstrate the analysis