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Güneş Patladığında: Şizofreninin Gizemi
Tecrit, zihinsel değişikliğe yol açan ilaç tedavileri, tamamen kapatılma… Günümüzde pek çok şizofreni hastası bu tür durumlarla karşı karşıya. Geçmişte çoğu zaman hayat boyu hastane odalarına kapatılmanın yerini, bugün daha çok beyin hücreleri üzerinde özel etkiler yaratan ilaçlar almış durumda.
Dünya çapında tanınmış psikanalist Christopher Bollas, şizofrenide ilaç tedavisi dışında daha insancıl bir tedavinin mümkün olduğunu ileri sürüyor: Şizofreninin ortaya çıktığı ilk haftalarda yoğun bir psikoterapi uygulamak. Kişinin yanında sürekli ve uzun süre konuşabileceği birinin olması ise her türlü tedavinin ana kaynağı.
Güneş Patladığında, Bollas'ın klinik deneyimlerinde tanıklık ettiği çocuk ve yetişkin hastaların hikâyeleri üzerinden, şizofreninin safhalarını ve insan psikolojisinin çoğu zaman hiçbir durumda değişmeyen gizemli katmanlarını birlikte ele alıyor.
“Bu kitap şizofreni hastalarıma, onların, içinde bulundukları zor duruma getirdikleri dâhiyane, yaratıcı çözümlere ve özellikle de engin cesaretlerine adanmıştır.”
Dünya çapında tanınmış psikanalist Christopher Bollas, şizofrenide ilaç tedavisi dışında daha insancıl bir tedavinin mümkün olduğunu ileri sürüyor: Şizofreninin ortaya çıktığı ilk haftalarda yoğun bir psikoterapi uygulamak. Kişinin yanında sürekli ve uzun süre konuşabileceği birinin olması ise her türlü tedavinin ana kaynağı.
Güneş Patladığında, Bollas'ın klinik deneyimlerinde tanıklık ettiği çocuk ve yetişkin hastaların hikâyeleri üzerinden, şizofreninin safhalarını ve insan psikolojisinin çoğu zaman hiçbir durumda değişmeyen gizemli katmanlarını birlikte ele alıyor.
“Bu kitap şizofreni hastalarıma, onların, içinde bulundukları zor duruma getirdikleri dâhiyane, yaratıcı çözümlere ve özellikle de engin cesaretlerine adanmıştır.”
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 24, 2015
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680 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Bollas
44 books91 followersChristopher 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 24, 2016
I picked up a copy of Christopher Bollas' "When the Sun Bursts: The Enigma of Schizophrenia" because it looked like a short, easy read about the disease that had stolen my ex-husband's life. What would it really have been like to see and hear and feel what he did during the progression of this most feared of mental illnesses? I was both shocked and heartened to learn from Bollas' thoughtful and humane narrative that the wrenching treatment of anti-psychotic drugs that P's family believed were his only option, the drugs that helped quiet the voices in his head while deadening his mind and emotions, were not, in fact, the only possible treatments for his illness.
And while I wondered whether Bollas' intensive routine of psychoanalysis might have given P back to his family and loved ones, I also wondered to what extent the American health care system would have supported such a laborious treatment, five days a week of psychoanalysis, sometimes extending as long as five years before a particularly difficult patient was able to utter coherent words?
And then I thought: what would five years have been, compared to the twenty or thirty more years of sane, reasoning life such a patient might experience?
In some ways, Bollas' description of his treatments, including taking intensive histories of his patients, mirrors those of other humane medical practitioners such as Abraham Verghese and the late Oliver Sacks, simply listening to patients as people instead of cases.
"Ordinarily I will simply ask the person to tell me what has happened in the days leading up to the moment when he changed," Bollas writes. "If comparatively few clinicians have experienced (a) reversal of the schizophrenic process, this is because the crucial act of regaining context through taking a history . . . (has) not been high on the list of clinical priorities. Instead the patient loses contact with his mind through heavy medication . . . Tragically, the treatment he receives becomes a crucial agent in cementing the schizophrenic process."
Even for those without personal experience of schizophrenia, Bollas' descriptions of his patients -- self-deprecating, kind and insightful -- are a joy to read. His language can be over heavy with technical terms for a lay reader, but terms are always either defined explicitly or made clear through context.
The annotated bibliography will be of particular help to readers interested in additional information.
And while I wondered whether Bollas' intensive routine of psychoanalysis might have given P back to his family and loved ones, I also wondered to what extent the American health care system would have supported such a laborious treatment, five days a week of psychoanalysis, sometimes extending as long as five years before a particularly difficult patient was able to utter coherent words?
And then I thought: what would five years have been, compared to the twenty or thirty more years of sane, reasoning life such a patient might experience?
In some ways, Bollas' description of his treatments, including taking intensive histories of his patients, mirrors those of other humane medical practitioners such as Abraham Verghese and the late Oliver Sacks, simply listening to patients as people instead of cases.
"Ordinarily I will simply ask the person to tell me what has happened in the days leading up to the moment when he changed," Bollas writes. "If comparatively few clinicians have experienced (a) reversal of the schizophrenic process, this is because the crucial act of regaining context through taking a history . . . (has) not been high on the list of clinical priorities. Instead the patient loses contact with his mind through heavy medication . . . Tragically, the treatment he receives becomes a crucial agent in cementing the schizophrenic process."
Even for those without personal experience of schizophrenia, Bollas' descriptions of his patients -- self-deprecating, kind and insightful -- are a joy to read. His language can be over heavy with technical terms for a lay reader, but terms are always either defined explicitly or made clear through context.
The annotated bibliography will be of particular help to readers interested in additional information.
May 2, 2017
Without getting into a big, long, technical and jargon-filled review, let's just say that some of Bollas' insights are truly interesting and illuminating, but others are limited and outdated, and his own strictly psychoanalytic training means his knowledge base in this area is unfortunately narrow.
September 2, 2025
Diviso in tre parti: nella prima parte Bollas racconta della sua esperienza con bambini ed adulti schizofrenici. Seconda parte un po’ più teorica. Terza parte si concentra sulla psicoterapia con pazienti schizofrenici.
La prima e la terza mi sono piaciute davvero tanto i casi clinici sono tutti interessanti e ci sono stati passaggi davvero commoventi. La seconda parte, per differenze nell’orientamento, mi ha fatto storcere un po’ il naso perché non mastico lo stesso linguaggio e le stesse teorie. Tutto sommato davvero interessante e lui ha una dialettica davvero incredibile
La prima e la terza mi sono piaciute davvero tanto i casi clinici sono tutti interessanti e ci sono stati passaggi davvero commoventi. La seconda parte, per differenze nell’orientamento, mi ha fatto storcere un po’ il naso perché non mastico lo stesso linguaggio e le stesse teorie. Tutto sommato davvero interessante e lui ha una dialettica davvero incredibile
March 24, 2017
An analyst discusses some of his cases – focused on schizophrenia and autism.
This was an odd book – cases studies (that read like general discussions) mixed with some theory plus some historical references. Overall I found this book interesting in places but don’t think I gained any real understanding plus I didn’t warm to the author.
This was an odd book – cases studies (that read like general discussions) mixed with some theory plus some historical references. Overall I found this book interesting in places but don’t think I gained any real understanding plus I didn’t warm to the author.
February 2, 2019
Quite a good book. Particularly the description of some of the experiences of his schizophrenic patients were fascinating, like the children he worked with at EBAC.
Despite that, I wasn't super impressed with his "explanation" of schizophrenia itself. It was mostly case studies (and not that many), and trying to fit the experiences in a psychoanalytical fashion, heavily influenced by Lacan. He gives examples of the type of experiences dealt in schizophrenia, like auditory hallucinations, sense of self, symbolic cosmologies, use of language (I/me), sexuality and projection.
I found some of his insights interesting and compelling, others felt like a gigantic stretch and the classic confirmation-bias and fantasy building typical of psychoanalysis (and I'm not particularly against psychoanalysis in general). While I understand and sympathize Bollas' approach, the fact that close to zero scientific evidence was presented made a hole difficult to ignore.
The book has parts that are slightly difficult to read, but overall the writing is pretty good. It's casual and not very technical, with perhaps the exception of some Lacanian theory. Despite feeling that a much better job could have been done, I'd still consider it a good read for anyone trying to understand the universe of schizophrenia. If you're adverse to psychoanalysis, though, another book will likely be a better choice.
Despite that, I wasn't super impressed with his "explanation" of schizophrenia itself. It was mostly case studies (and not that many), and trying to fit the experiences in a psychoanalytical fashion, heavily influenced by Lacan. He gives examples of the type of experiences dealt in schizophrenia, like auditory hallucinations, sense of self, symbolic cosmologies, use of language (I/me), sexuality and projection.
I found some of his insights interesting and compelling, others felt like a gigantic stretch and the classic confirmation-bias and fantasy building typical of psychoanalysis (and I'm not particularly against psychoanalysis in general). While I understand and sympathize Bollas' approach, the fact that close to zero scientific evidence was presented made a hole difficult to ignore.
The book has parts that are slightly difficult to read, but overall the writing is pretty good. It's casual and not very technical, with perhaps the exception of some Lacanian theory. Despite feeling that a much better job could have been done, I'd still consider it a good read for anyone trying to understand the universe of schizophrenia. If you're adverse to psychoanalysis, though, another book will likely be a better choice.
June 2, 2016
When I picked up this book, I was hoping for stories and case studies about working with schizophrenics. Part one of the book does include a variety of stories of working with children at EBAC, and some stories are scattered throughout parts 2 and 3, but a majority of the book is psychoanalytical/ clinical theory. While his theories are compelling and profound, I found the writing style to be dry and felt like I had to slog through to the end. There were moments where I felt like I was reading a textbook. I wouldn't assign this reading to a Psych 101 course and I don't think this book could easily be read by someone without any sort of background on psychology, psychoanalytic theory, or schizophrenia.
I do admire the author's profound intelligence and compassionate work with those who suffer schizophrenia, but this book doesn't end up on any of my "favorites" lists.
I do admire the author's profound intelligence and compassionate work with those who suffer schizophrenia, but this book doesn't end up on any of my "favorites" lists.
January 7, 2018
The last two years i been kind of "obsessed" about reading about disease, psicosis, metal health and psychology in general so i have read many books in this matter and similar but i did not enjoy this one. To be objective is really hard to "enjoy" a book about schizophrenia but this was not well written enough and it did not feel cohesive and the cases where not the best, in my opinion. Also i think i only understood half of what the writer wanted to expose. This is ok for a student of the matter but if you are general public who wants to understand about mental health and madness there are better books about there.
December 23, 2025
Rekommenderar varmt till folk som är nördiga i psykologi/psykoterapi/psykiatri.
Ett psykoanalytiskt perspektiv på hur schizofreni fungerar, tenderar att ge uttryck och hur man kan jobba med detta. Mer av ett skönlitterärt verk, uppdelat i tre delar: författarens egna historia till att bli psykoanalytiker och arbeta med schizofreni, presentation av bakomliggande teori och nutida arbete ish.
Fantastisk gällande det deskriptiva; att förklara hur han jobbar, vad som händer i vissa vinjetter etc.
Där boken är annars bra, men tenderar att bli lite väl … ja, psykoanalytisk - så tappar den udden. Som med andra psykoanalytiska verk så går det ibland i 180km/h när författaren presenterar associationer (som denne själv tolkar) hos patienten i texten som är ”självklara”. Vi kan ta exemplet nedan:
”We can also differentiate degrees of schizophrenia based on what is projected, how systematically, and how completely. If the schizophrenic projects his sexual states of mind into a range of objects that allow one to discover the sexual dynamic, then it is clear that this person is reachable and has a wish to be found. So if he talks about Britney Spears, then about rabbits chasing one another on the lawn, and then about kangaroos, we can easily track his free associations as he imagines a sexual object (intercourse), and then birth and mothering.”
Jag tänker på Elisabeth Cleves tolkning av barnet som sätter en leksakshäst upp och ned i en sandlåda — en ”tydlig” koppling från den bilkrasch barnet var med om där bilen voltande. Problemet? Barnet är 5 år vid lekandet. Knappt 1 år vid kraschen (som jag minns det). Eller Peter Blakes tolkning av ett barn som gillar att svälja fiskben, då barnet upplever själv (omedvetet) en avsaknad av ryggrad.
Bevisföring? Analytikerns egna omedvetna som plockar upp detta och och utgör dennes tolkning.
Ah, näe.
Ett psykoanalytiskt perspektiv på hur schizofreni fungerar, tenderar att ge uttryck och hur man kan jobba med detta. Mer av ett skönlitterärt verk, uppdelat i tre delar: författarens egna historia till att bli psykoanalytiker och arbeta med schizofreni, presentation av bakomliggande teori och nutida arbete ish.
Fantastisk gällande det deskriptiva; att förklara hur han jobbar, vad som händer i vissa vinjetter etc.
Där boken är annars bra, men tenderar att bli lite väl … ja, psykoanalytisk - så tappar den udden. Som med andra psykoanalytiska verk så går det ibland i 180km/h när författaren presenterar associationer (som denne själv tolkar) hos patienten i texten som är ”självklara”. Vi kan ta exemplet nedan:
”We can also differentiate degrees of schizophrenia based on what is projected, how systematically, and how completely. If the schizophrenic projects his sexual states of mind into a range of objects that allow one to discover the sexual dynamic, then it is clear that this person is reachable and has a wish to be found. So if he talks about Britney Spears, then about rabbits chasing one another on the lawn, and then about kangaroos, we can easily track his free associations as he imagines a sexual object (intercourse), and then birth and mothering.”
Jag tänker på Elisabeth Cleves tolkning av barnet som sätter en leksakshäst upp och ned i en sandlåda — en ”tydlig” koppling från den bilkrasch barnet var med om där bilen voltande. Problemet? Barnet är 5 år vid lekandet. Knappt 1 år vid kraschen (som jag minns det). Eller Peter Blakes tolkning av ett barn som gillar att svälja fiskben, då barnet upplever själv (omedvetet) en avsaknad av ryggrad.
Bevisföring? Analytikerns egna omedvetna som plockar upp detta och och utgör dennes tolkning.
Ah, näe.
March 12, 2018
4.5/5
Moving and beautifully written.
Moving and beautifully written.
December 26, 2023
Un libro da leggere se si è interessati ad una, oggi purtroppo inusuale, prospettiva psicoanalitica sul problema della schizofrenia.
May 10, 2016
Christopher Bollas has a restless spirit. This book traces his career from its beginnings in Oakland, California to his current residence outside Pekin, North Dakota with stops along the way in Buffalo, Stockbridge, New York, London and Rome. And telephone calls to Norway.
Throughout these travels and respites, Bollas counsels and learns from schizophrenics – people whose lives are dominated by a search for psychological refuge: a need far more desperate than anything “normals” ever experience in their everyday lives. It is that search for safety that indicates how schizophrenics might be helped. First, by re-developing a life narrative that connects them to who they were and, to some extent, still are. And, second, by accepting the importance of their behaviours and views as protective and therefore needing transformation rather than elimination. As evidenced by the anecdotes Bollas relates, this re-connection to reality isn’t easy but it is possible. And, therefore, there is an alternative to hospitalization and drugs.
A key theme of the book is that the worldview of a schizophrenic is understandable if the analyst is patient and perceptive. Moreover, that worldview can contain important insights into reality which “normals” either ignore, fail to see or deny because of their need to get-along-with-life. In other words, rather than schizophrenics being dismissed as inexplicably disintegrated selves, they should be viewed as people who, while sane, have seen things differently, often more acutely, but who have also been unable to handle some triggering traumas or other stresses and consequently have gone into psychological retreat – a retreat which can range from mildly dissociative to catatonic. The goal is to restore them, better protected, to society.
Bollas is at his best when presenting examples of schizophrenic patients, their behaviours and his responses. He is at his worst when he slips too far toward the floating world of psychoanalytic jargon. The tendency of psychoanalysis to abstract reality into a coterie code is something Bollas has gradually shed in his writing – much to the benefit of both psychoanalysis and the educated reading public. There is very little jargon in this book.
Finally, the book has a list of suggested readings with helpful descriptions of the listed books and why they might be of interest and to whom. This is a welcome bonus.
Throughout these travels and respites, Bollas counsels and learns from schizophrenics – people whose lives are dominated by a search for psychological refuge: a need far more desperate than anything “normals” ever experience in their everyday lives. It is that search for safety that indicates how schizophrenics might be helped. First, by re-developing a life narrative that connects them to who they were and, to some extent, still are. And, second, by accepting the importance of their behaviours and views as protective and therefore needing transformation rather than elimination. As evidenced by the anecdotes Bollas relates, this re-connection to reality isn’t easy but it is possible. And, therefore, there is an alternative to hospitalization and drugs.
A key theme of the book is that the worldview of a schizophrenic is understandable if the analyst is patient and perceptive. Moreover, that worldview can contain important insights into reality which “normals” either ignore, fail to see or deny because of their need to get-along-with-life. In other words, rather than schizophrenics being dismissed as inexplicably disintegrated selves, they should be viewed as people who, while sane, have seen things differently, often more acutely, but who have also been unable to handle some triggering traumas or other stresses and consequently have gone into psychological retreat – a retreat which can range from mildly dissociative to catatonic. The goal is to restore them, better protected, to society.
Bollas is at his best when presenting examples of schizophrenic patients, their behaviours and his responses. He is at his worst when he slips too far toward the floating world of psychoanalytic jargon. The tendency of psychoanalysis to abstract reality into a coterie code is something Bollas has gradually shed in his writing – much to the benefit of both psychoanalysis and the educated reading public. There is very little jargon in this book.
Finally, the book has a list of suggested readings with helpful descriptions of the listed books and why they might be of interest and to whom. This is a welcome bonus.
July 13, 2022
Rich and poetic exploration of psychosis
I bought this as part of self-education about schizophrenia now that a close family member has been diagnosed, and also because it was recommended by Martha Nussbaum, a brilliant philosopher. It is a great book for anyone interested in the way the mind works, regardless of the case studies of those adjusting from the difficulties of psychosis and schizophrenia. It explores the nature of the self and how we as individuals seek to navigate any difficult passage in our lives. Fascinating and illuminating.
I bought this as part of self-education about schizophrenia now that a close family member has been diagnosed, and also because it was recommended by Martha Nussbaum, a brilliant philosopher. It is a great book for anyone interested in the way the mind works, regardless of the case studies of those adjusting from the difficulties of psychosis and schizophrenia. It explores the nature of the self and how we as individuals seek to navigate any difficult passage in our lives. Fascinating and illuminating.
May 25, 2019
I came for case studies, and enjoyed those bits of the book, but I just couldn't accept that psychoanalysis alone is the one true treatment, and I found the author's ellaborations of why he is right, despite, or perhaps becuase of, the fact that he has little to no actual medical training, hard going. If you are a fan of freudian analysis, and think mental illness responds well to the interpretation of metaphors, your take might well be different.
March 26, 2020
TL;DR- interesting premise, poor execution, too much jargon.
June 27, 2020
It may be unfair for me to review this as I was unable to crawl past page 99, and skimmed it after that. I'd really hoped to gain an understanding of psychoanalysis but this is the same convoluted gibberish I"ve read elsewhere. Lots of theory and anecdotal stories but no outcome studies. I believe Bollas has helped some people not helped by other means, and his compassion for them is obvious, but by his own admission relief comes after a couple years (at least) of 5X weekly sessions. Some of his patients don't speak for the first couple weeks and it appears he doesn't encourage them to, but waits until they're ready. No insurance will pay for that and few patients can afford to. Are the analysts working for free?!
75% of Bollas's bibliographical sources are at least 25 years old, one is 80 years old. Several of the more recent ones are his books.
Someone looking to understand what goes on in the mind of a psychotic person may find something useful here.
75% of Bollas's bibliographical sources are at least 25 years old, one is 80 years old. Several of the more recent ones are his books.
Someone looking to understand what goes on in the mind of a psychotic person may find something useful here.
August 14, 2017
I enjoyed Bollas's analysis. I wish he had written a bit more about his first hand experience with schizophrenics, but the moments he did share were really eye opening and authentic to the illness. I found some of his theory hard to follow but the rest was understandable. I would recommend to someone who has a psych background because there is a heavy psychology knowledge required to understand some of his notions. All in all, a great book.
October 11, 2019
Illuminating to read about the finer workings of psychotherapy from the perspective of a psychotherapist who is inquisitive and posits how the basic cognitive units of psychotherapy even begins to work in a person who has, by all outward appearances, lost it and seemingly is not recoverable. That even in the depths of psychosis, things still do make sense and retains inherent logic. Reality will always remain subjective.
August 30, 2019
Çok hızlı akan bir kitap değil ve bazı bölümlerde kendini tekrar ediyormuş hissi verse de okumaya değer kıymetli bir yayın. Şizofreninin bilişsel ve davranışsal süreçlerinin nedenini açıklayan psikanalitik bir yorumlama daha önce hiç bu kadar güzel ve anlaşılır yapılmadı bence. Keyifli okumalar..
July 31, 2024
Bollas has a profound understanding of those with schizophrenia and at the same time exercises a great deal of humility claiming he has much to learn from them. Some chapters were difficult to get through since he focuses on psychosis through the myopia of psychoanalysis, yet it is this focus that is a breath of fresh air from the current milieu that over medicalizes schizophrenia.
January 21, 2025
While I had some difficulty with the highly theoretical bits of this book, I still found a lot of compelling and useful content to take into my own practice. I particularly appreciated the first third, which focuses on Bollas' work with young children with psychosis, and the very thorough annotated biography of further reading.
February 8, 2025
Leggere questo libro mi ha permesso di comprendere la schizofrenia in un modo che va oltre il metodo clinico, tipico dei libri universitari che ho studiato finora e che mi ha sempre lasciato, in fondo, con qualche punto interrogativo. Sicuramente lo rileggerò in futuro
August 21, 2019
Not much a fan of the Freudian junk throughout, but the documentation of everything is wonderful.
February 17, 2020
Bir anı ve 1 cümlelik konuyu 3 sayfa anlatma kitabı olmuş. Delilik ve Modernizm’i tekrar tekrar okurum daha iyi.
August 19, 2020
Schizophrenia and how is it dealt with counselling - an eye-opener for me- however, I would have liked it to have more neurological aspects included- that quest for me is still on.
December 18, 2022
Şizofrenide anlamsız olarak değerlendirilen söylem ve davranışların gerçek ifadelerini keşfetme üzerine düşündürücü bir eser.
January 12, 2023
Beautifully written. I have to read the rest of his ouevre now. (banger title btw)
July 16, 2017
Incredible insight into the different types of schizophrenia. Bollas talks about a number of his patients and the way that schiziophrenia affected them individually. Quite an eye opener, clarifying some of the asumptions made about the mental illness.
February 18, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
January 17, 2016
This book is written for the layperson with an interest in the subject. You do not need much previous knowledge of psychology or psychotherapy. There is not a lot of jargon and it is not technically dense. The writing style, in general, is very casual and easy to follow. If you are looking for something more dense in describing technique and theory, then this may not be for you.
Bollas begins by recounting his experience as a counselor at East Bay Activity Center (EBAC). Through his memories, we come to understand the behaviors of the psychotic children he and the other staff cared for. He shares many wonderful insights about the delusions that these children have, so much so that we come to understand what these odd thoughts actually mean and represent to the children.
As Bollas grows in his discovery and pursuit of psychotherapy, the patients that we read about grow from children in to adults. We witness how he connects his knowledge and experience of children at EBAC to the adult students at his university's health center and his own private practice. We continue to learn much about the onset of schizophrenia, and how these individual's inner turmoil comes to be translated in to their bizarre experiences... and how they may find balance and regain stability. Bollas has a wonderful capacity for normalizing that which we typically deem to be nonsensical madness.
We continue to explore auditory hallucinations, sense of self, concretization and "thingness" of the world, mythological narratives, use of language (I-me), sexuality, projecting parts of the self on to objects, and more. This is not an in-depth analysis, but there may be some discussion that seems dense to a casual reader. Included are some short, selected transcripts that highlight specific features of communication and language, such as the use of idioms and symbols.
This is a great book for beginner and seasoned readers wishing to peel back the nonsensical surface of schizophrenia, "latent schizophrenia," and psychosis, gaining a more empathetic understanding of the abstract, symbol-driven world that these individuals are trying to survive in.
Bollas begins by recounting his experience as a counselor at East Bay Activity Center (EBAC). Through his memories, we come to understand the behaviors of the psychotic children he and the other staff cared for. He shares many wonderful insights about the delusions that these children have, so much so that we come to understand what these odd thoughts actually mean and represent to the children.
As Bollas grows in his discovery and pursuit of psychotherapy, the patients that we read about grow from children in to adults. We witness how he connects his knowledge and experience of children at EBAC to the adult students at his university's health center and his own private practice. We continue to learn much about the onset of schizophrenia, and how these individual's inner turmoil comes to be translated in to their bizarre experiences... and how they may find balance and regain stability. Bollas has a wonderful capacity for normalizing that which we typically deem to be nonsensical madness.
We continue to explore auditory hallucinations, sense of self, concretization and "thingness" of the world, mythological narratives, use of language (I-me), sexuality, projecting parts of the self on to objects, and more. This is not an in-depth analysis, but there may be some discussion that seems dense to a casual reader. Included are some short, selected transcripts that highlight specific features of communication and language, such as the use of idioms and symbols.
This is a great book for beginner and seasoned readers wishing to peel back the nonsensical surface of schizophrenia, "latent schizophrenia," and psychosis, gaining a more empathetic understanding of the abstract, symbol-driven world that these individuals are trying to survive in.
May 26, 2016
A very interesting about psychoanalytical work with schizophrenics. The author is convinced that schizophrenics, especially when sliding towards their first psychotic breakdown, can be helped by psychoanalysis. He mentions antipsychotic drugs only sporadically, and in a more restrained way than many others, but it's clear that he considers them psychological straightjackets.
Although the book veered into psychoanalytical jargon from time to time, I found it very readable. The author has such infinite patience with his patients (Lacanian pun? I think not!), and he is so incredibly receptive to their psychological defense mechanisms, that I felt transported into a totally different therapeutic world. Not a world of HMOs and 10 minute face-to-face time with your primary care physician and a prescription being called in to the pharmacy before you're even out the door, but a world where analysand and analyst painstakingly try to communicate across the chasm of schizophrenia. The author gives psychoanalytical explanations of psychotic behavior that seem to make some psychological sense, such as the idea that schizophrenics hide pieces of their self in inanimate objects, which they then obsess over or avoid. This is the type of theory that can't be proven or disproven... but somehow it made sense to me.
This book is intended as an explanation of the author's ideas about schizophrenia, and I read it as such. But every once in a while I did wonder : what was the author's definition of therapeutic success? Control of hallucinations? Ability to return to normal functioning? Or simply a less desperately unhappy schizophrenic ? And what is the success rate of psychoanalysis? How could one even begin to calculate that, when some patients were seen 5 times a week for several years? How many patients could a therapist treat in 40 years of professional life?
Although the book veered into psychoanalytical jargon from time to time, I found it very readable. The author has such infinite patience with his patients (Lacanian pun? I think not!), and he is so incredibly receptive to their psychological defense mechanisms, that I felt transported into a totally different therapeutic world. Not a world of HMOs and 10 minute face-to-face time with your primary care physician and a prescription being called in to the pharmacy before you're even out the door, but a world where analysand and analyst painstakingly try to communicate across the chasm of schizophrenia. The author gives psychoanalytical explanations of psychotic behavior that seem to make some psychological sense, such as the idea that schizophrenics hide pieces of their self in inanimate objects, which they then obsess over or avoid. This is the type of theory that can't be proven or disproven... but somehow it made sense to me.
This book is intended as an explanation of the author's ideas about schizophrenia, and I read it as such. But every once in a while I did wonder : what was the author's definition of therapeutic success? Control of hallucinations? Ability to return to normal functioning? Or simply a less desperately unhappy schizophrenic ? And what is the success rate of psychoanalysis? How could one even begin to calculate that, when some patients were seen 5 times a week for several years? How many patients could a therapist treat in 40 years of professional life?
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