Essential Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: An Acquired Art

203 Pages·2015·3.57 MB·English

by  Teri Quatman

“I will get right to the point: this is the best introduction to the practice of
psychoanalytic psychotherapy that I have ever read, bar none. There are many
introductory texts, but none that I have read achieves this level of intimacy with
the reader in the process of assisting him or her in the diffi cult work of becoming
a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. My scribblings in the margins of the book are a
response to the depth of understanding of the ideas Quatman discusses and to the
intelligence and compassion refl ected in her accounts of her own clinical experience,
but I realize only after fi nishing reading the book that most of all I stand in awe and
appreciation of the unpretentious, unselfconscious wisdom that weaves through
every page. To quote from Dr. Quatman’s book, she is fi rst and foremost concerned
with helping the reader acquire a “way of being,” “a certain readiness” that is
involved in becoming a psychotherapist. She talks about what something means
when “we stop to think about”—something that is far more easily said than done.
And perhaps most surprising to me, the book is fi lled with “joy”—a sense of
delight in talking about what matters most: how to help someone with what each
patient most fundamentally wants and needs: “They want more of themselves and
for themselves in their lives.” It is also what each psychotherapist most wants and
needs in their lives as therapists, and it is precisely this that Dr. Quatman’s book so
thoroughly and profoundly succeeds in providing. Another source—a principal
source—of the joy of reading this book is in the writing. Again, I have never read
an introductory text that is written with the informal, highly personal, but never
saccharine, voice that one encounters and comes to look forward to spending time
with as one reads and re-reads this extraordinary work.”
—Thomas H. Ogden, M.D.
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ESSENTIAL PSYCHODYNAMIC
PSYCHOTHERAPY
Essential Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: An Acquired Art provides an essential,
accessible grounding in current psychodynamic theory and practice for a wide
range of readers. For trainees, it off ers a very useful toolset to help them make the
transition from purely theoretical training to the uncharted territory of clinical
practice. For more seasoned therapists and those seeking to deepen their
understanding of psychodynamic therapy, it provides conceptual clarity, and may
also serve as a stepping-stone to more complex and denser psychoanalytic works
written for advanced clinicians.
Essential Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: An Acquired Art is an introduction to how to
think and work psychodynamically. It is written primarily for those training at a
postgraduate level in psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy, but reaches
well beyond that audience. It is grounded in contemporary psychoanalytic theory,
drawing on the work of Winnicott, Bion, and Ogden, all of whom are pivotal in
current psychodynamic thought and practice. It also integrates attachment theory
and research, and includes fresh contributions from neuropsychological research.
The voice of the book is honest and intimate. The tone is practical. It is written
with a clear-minded understanding of contemporary psychodynamic theory that
allows the new therapist to access the deepest and richest parts of the therapy itself.
It translates many of the key theoretical tenets of psychodynamic psychotherapy,
giving the reader a clear (but non-formulaic) guide as to how to handle the contours
of any analytic session; how to open one’s perceptual and emotional apertures as a
clinician; how to work in and understand “the relationship”; and how to work
with the most common intra- and interpersonal problems patients present. This
publication will be a valuable guide for new analysts and therapists, and also for
those seeking to understand what the world of psychodynamic therapy may hold
for them, no matter where they are in their clinical careers.
Teri Quatman is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology in the Graduate
Department of Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. She earned her
Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1990, and has studied, practiced, and taught
psychodynamic psychotherapy to graduate students for the past 25 years.
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ESSENTIAL
PSYCHODYNAMIC
PSYCHOTHERAPY
An Acquired Art
Teri Quatman
First published 2015
by Routledge
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2FA
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Teri Quatman
The right of Teri Quatman to be identifi ed as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Quatman, Teri.
Essential psychodynamic psychotherapy : an acquired art / Teri Quatman.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Psychodynamic psychotherapy. I. Title.
RC489.P72Q83 2015
616.89’14--dc23
2014033803
ISBN: 978-1-138-80872-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-80873-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-75009-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby
CONTENTS
List of fi gures ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1 An Acquired Art 1
2 The Art and Power of Listening—Deeply 11
3 The Science of It 21
4 The Chain of Emotion 32
5 The Art of Listening Deeply: In the Room 45
6 Creating Space 54
7 Understanding, the Bass Clef, and Intersubjectivity 64
8 The Silent Patient 80
9 Object Relations 97
10 Transference 112
11 Countertransference 127
viii Contents
12 Defenses and Anxieties 143
13 Endgame 161
References 178
Index 183
FIGURES
3.1 The Brain 22
3.2 Brainstem Structures 23
3.3 Subcortical Limbic Structures 26
3.4 The Cerebral Cortex: Hemispheres 28
3.5 The Cerebral Cortex: Lobes 29