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This book is essentially a conversation between Antonino Ferro (a highly experienced psychoanalyst) and Luca Nicoli (a relatively new psychoanalyst). Nicoli is curious about the analytic world that Ferro inhabits. Nicoli describes a passion for psychoanalysis, but is also saddened by his sense that the institution is now perceived by many as old-fashioned and falling behind in the face of newer, more fashionable approaches to therapy.
Nicoli acknowledges his trepidation with regard to moving beyond Freud and more traditional concepts, but equally seems to yearn for a more contemporary and relevant psychoanalysis. Enter Ferro. Nicoli describes him as a psychoanalyst following in the footsteps of Bion and representing a shift in focus from unconscious content (a Freudian concept) to the narrative and metaphorical understanding of the relationship between the analyst and the patient.
To put it simply: the format of the book is that Nicoli asks questions and Ferro answers ….
What ensues is an interesting and at times a whirlwind tour through various aspects of contemporary psychoanalysis through the lens of Ferro’s practice. The journey ranges broadly from very practical considerations such as fees and frequency of sessions, through to the more cerebral notions of reverie and daytime dreaming. There is discussion of how to work with imagery and create ideas for films and characters where the patient plays a leading role, and how to follow the unconscious as it manifests within the analytic space. Ferro also describes a process of ‘co-construction, co-narration’ between patient and analyst to develop mental life.
Ferro asserts his view that there is a risk of getting too weighted down with carrying 100 years of psychoanalytic history around with us. While I feel he respects and values the work of Freud and Klein and feels the classics are a helpful starting point, he urges us to move on and essentially ‘travel light’ so we are open to new exciting ideas and theories. He cite