The Transactional Analyst in Action: Clinical Seminars

191 Pages·2012·0.73 MB·English

by  Michele Novellino

CHAPTERTITLE I
THE TRANSACTIONAL ANALYST
IN ACTION

THE TRANSACTIONAL
ANALYST IN ACTION
Clinical Seminars
Michele Novellino
First published in English in 2012 by
Karnac Books Ltd
118 Finchley Road, London NW3 5HT
First published in Italian in 2010 as Seminari clinici. La cassetta degli attrezzi
dell’analista transazionale
Copyright © 2012 FrancoAngeli srl, Milan, Italy.
Translated by Andrew Brociner
The right of Michele Novellino to be identified as the author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with §§ 77 and 78 of the Copyright Design and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A C.I.P. for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 78049 070 0
Edited, designed and produced by The Studio Publishing Services Ltd
www.publishingservicesuk.co.uk
e-mail: [email protected]
Printed in Great Britain
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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS viii
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ix
PREFACE by William F. Cornell x
INTRODUCTION xiv
CHAPTER ONE
General principles 1
Didactic introduction 2
Definition of transactional analysis 3
Schools of transactional analysis 4
New epistemological bases 6
Social, psychological, and unconscious communication 15
Other recent directions in literature 20
CHAPTER TWO
Change in transactional analysis 23
The change 23
The syndrome of the effective psychotherapy 27
v
vi CONTENTS
Positive feedback 30
Negative feedback 31
The patient who does not change 31
“Sloppiness” 35
CHAPTER THREE
Defence and resistance 41
General principles 41
Defence and developmental point of view 45
Counter-resistance. Analysis of countertransference 47
The triadic approach to resistance 51
Resistance in groups and anti-leadership 56
CHAPTER FOUR
The clinical methodology 59
Therapeutic plan and methodology 59
Therapeutic contract and analytic contract: 60
operative differences
The difference between strategy and tactics 62
Strategic phases of the therapist 62
CHAPTER FIVE
The setting 69
Premise: the six steps of the first interview and the 69
setting in transactional psychoanalysis
Definition of setting 80
The set-up of the case and the reference 81
The initial request 83
The first interview and the formation of the 84
therapeutic alliance. Alliance and pseudo-alliance
Aims of the first interview 86
The motivation of the patient 86
Gathering of information 89
Giving information 90
Contract and probe interventions 91
CHAPTER SIX
The therapeutic contract 95
Contract as content and as process 95
Administrative contract 96
CONTENTS vii
Soft and hard therapy contracts 97
Unacceptable contracts 100
Therapy without contract 100
Holloway’s contract 101
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Bernean methodology 103
The classic Bernean methodology: the therapeutic 103
themes
The phases of therapy according to Berne 106
Bernean tactics of intervention on the Adult 108
Tactics of intervention with the Parent 118
Tactics of intervention on the Child: regression analysis 119
CHAPTER EIGHT
Post-Bernean re-decision tactics 121
Impasses and re-decisions 121
Impasses and the developmental line. Neurosis 122
of transference
The seven components of re-decisional therapy 123
Re-decision therapy: the two-chairs work 124
Separation and condensation in the work of the 129
two chairs
A clinical case 131
Rechilding 133
The three chairs technique 134
Interventions on the Parent 135
Tactics of intervention on dreams 138
CHAPTER NINE
The psychodynamic approach 143
Deconfusion in Berne 143
Deconfusion and re-decision 144
Re-decision analysis of transference 145
Deconfusion in a relational perspective 152
GLOSSARY 155
REFERENCES 159
INDEX 165
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book, like all books, must take into consideration due recognition
of many who have, directly or indirectly, influenced it.
I remember, first of all, who introduced me to transactional
analysis, Carlo Moiso, who today is no longer with us in body, but
remains solid in our spirit for being absolutely the first in Italy to have
believed in transactional analysis: thank you, Carlo, my first master
and dear friend, I know that you would be proud of the seed that also
through me, you sowed.
Thanks to all of my other masters and sponsors, from Richard
Erskine to Jacqui Schiff, as I am also thankful to many distinguished
colleagues who have supported my attempt, often solitary in difficult
years, to fight for the recovery of the unconscious, from Jim Allen to
Ulrike Mueller.
A special thank you to the Transactional Analysis Journal, especially
in the persons of Bill Cornell and Robin Fryer, for the attention that
has always been given to my papers.
Infinite thanks to my many students, many of whom today direct
serious and well-known schools of training ... I remember you all
with affection and gratitude.
Thanks to Laura Bonanni ... for making the metaphor of the
lobster known to me.
Thanks to my patients, who continuously invite me, through
their participation, to interrogate myself on the validity and the real
effectiveness of the techniques about which I write: you are the only
real check for what I practise and teach.
viii
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michele Novellino, psychiatrist and psychologist, teaching and
supervising transactional analyst (TSTA) of the International
Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA) in psychotherapy and in
counselling fields, is one of the founders of transactional analysis in
Italy. He was granted the Eric Berne Memorial Award in 2003 for his
studies on unconscious communication, and is the author of twenty
books on psychotherapy and more than 150 papers.
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