On Bearing Unbearable States of Mind

Addressing the lack of literature aimed at helping psychoanalysts deal with very difficult patients,On Bearing Unbearable States of Mindprovides clear guidance on how the analyst can encourage the patient to communicate the quality of his or her often intolerably painful states of mind and how the analyst can interpret these states, using them as a basis for insight and psychic change in the patient. Employing extensive and detailed clinical examples and addressing important areas of Kleinian theory, Ruth Riesenberg-Malcolm examines the problems that underlie severe pathology and shows how meaningful analytic work can take place, even with very disturbed patients. Bearing Unbearable States of Mindshould be a useful and practical guide for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists and all those working in psychological settings with severely disturbed patients.