Catch Them Before They Fall: The Psychoanalysis of Breakdown

by Christopher Bollas

In this exploration of a radical approach to the psychoanalytical treatment of people on the verge of mental breakdown, Christopher Bollas offers a new and courageous clinical paradigm.



He suggests that the unconscious purpose of breakdown is to present the self to the other for transformative understanding; to have its core distress met and understood directly. If caught in time, a breakdown can become a breakthrough. It is an event imbued with the most profound personal significance, but it requires deep understanding if its meaning is to be released to its transformative potential.



Bollas believes that hospitalization, intensive medication and CBT/DBT all negate this opportunity, and he proposes that many of these patients should instead be offered extended, intensive psychoanalysis.



This book will be of interest to clinicians who find that, with patients on the verge of breakdown, conventional psychoanalytical work is insufficient to meet the emerging crisis. However, Bollas's challenging proposal will provoke many questions and in the final section of the book some of these are raised by Sacha Bollas and presented in a question-and-answer form.

Genres: Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Nonfiction

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Christopher Bollas, Ph.D. is a Member of the International Psychoanalytical Association and has been practicing for over fifty years. Former Director of Education at the Austen Riggs Center he was Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis at the Institute of Child Neuropsychiatry of the University of Rome. He is a prolific author and international lecturer.

Reviews

[Fatemeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

فرقی نداره من در مورد کدوم شاخه از روانشناسی و روانکاوی‌ کتاب بخونم همیشه فک میکنم علایم یکسانی با کیس ها دارم😅
و خوب این اصلا جالب نیست و بعضی مواقع حتی اذیت کننده هم‌هست .‌ولی بعد میفهمم نه خوب مثل اینکه قضیه من خیلی فرق میکنه .
به نظرم کتاب تخصصی بود و بعضی جاهاش از حوصله من خارج بود و بیشتر روخوانی میکردم‌ تموم شه ولی اطلاعات کلی خوبی در مورد روانکاوی بهم داد.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is a breakdown?

Many of us utilize this term, but what does it actually imply?

Reflexively, we tend to see breakdown as some sort of illness, and imagine that medication and psychiatric hospitalization are the best approach.

What if this isn't true? What is breakdown is a rare and transient opportunity for psychological breakthrough?

Reflecting on one approach, Christopher Bollas elaborates the nature of breakdown and the sense of possibility that briefly presents itself. By medicating or offering symptom-based therapies like CBT and DBT, we deny that opportunity for growth and instead the mind paves over possibility and we are left with rigidity and less possibility of a fully lived life.

I found his approach and case reviews quite similar to breakthrough work that has been done with MDMA assisted psychotherapy - both utilize long and intensive sessions after resources, safety and a therapeutic frame have been well-established.

Perhaps it is time that as a society we better understand the nature of breakdown. By seeing it as an opportunity for healing, we may prevent the transmission of intergenerational trauma and bring more humanity and optimism to our societies.

Research seems to imply that reducing stigma is inadequate without a deeper understanding of the complex nature of emotional distress. As always, Bollas brings us more deeply into an understanding of the self-reflective and examined life, with all its potential for richness, engagement and the possibilities of work and love.

[ray]

realmente um livro sobre casos de sucesso com o colapso com uma forma controversa, entendo a demora de 30 anos para conseguir falar sobre essas experiências, mas bastante enriquecedor para nós pensarmos a clínica - mesmo não imaginando a aplicabilidade para os casos que já acompanhei/acompanho, sempre muito bom ler as experiências clínicas do Bollas, traz percepções valiosas para o que um processo de análise e a entrevista ao final do livro ajuda bastante a elucidar algumas dúvidas, várias questões que me peguei perguntando. Ele repete várias vezes que o receio em compartilhar vinha também de pensar que a maioria dos colegas não aprovariam, achei de uma coragem imensa. Um grande pensador para a psicanálise na construção da teoria e da práxis

[Catalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

O abordare unica la prabusirile psihice. Ideea ca decompensarile psihice au o insemnatate pentru analizand si ca au un potential mare de schimbare este revelatoare si merge impotriva stiintelor "bazate pe dovezi". Superba abordarea umanista a lui Christopher Bollas, acesta ofera sedinte prelungite chiar si de o zi intreaga, in momente de vulnerabilitate maxima pentru analizand, si ii ofera un cadru sigur si empatic pentru a iesii la iveala inconstientul analizandului.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An empathetic approach towards helping patients going through psychological breakdown, written in completely accessible language. At points it felt like Bollas was trying very hard to defend his reasoning for intensive therapeutic approach against unknown detractors, which took a bit away from the overall psychological analysis, but still a compelling read.

[Nasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

شاید ترجمه یه جاهایی مفهوم نبود و واژه‌های تخصصی روانکاوی رو‌ درست ترجمه نکرده بود. نشر خوب.

اما خود کتاب دیدگاه و نگاه جدیدی داشت که به نظرم ارزش خوندن برای همه کسایی که توی حوزه روان‌شناسی فعالیت می‌کنن رو داره
نگاه عمیق‌تر به بحران و فروپاشی روانی، یه جورایی همدلی زیاد با بیمار و موندن کنارش تا این روزا بگذره.

[thaís bambozzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu gostei muito de conhecer mais desse recorte específico da clínica do Bollas. Ousado, no mínimo. Mas é um lembrete bonito pra gente confiar no processo psicanalítico e na extraordinariedade contida em cada caso clínico.

[Brad Strawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this fascinating and appreciated Bolles risking putting himself out there in a way that is a bit controversial.

[Kay Chai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this from cover to cover in 2 days because it was that compelling. As suggested in the summary he made a convincing case for intensive psychoanalytic treatment during a breakdown as a way not to stop it or divert attention away from it, but to help the person work through the material that has had the chance to surface during the breakdown such that a breakthrough can happen. I really appreciated the case examples illustrating what a breakdown may look like and how they might happen, and what he did to help the patients through their breakdowns. I was hoping however for more description of other signs of breakdown but for a brief book, this was a great guide.