Worlds Of Experience: Interweaving Philosophical And Clinical Dimensions In Psychoanalysis

by Robert D. Stolorow, George Atwood, Donna M. Orange

The intersubjective perspective regards all psychological processes as emanating from personal interrelatedness. First presented by Robert D. Stolorow in his classic work Faces in a Cloud (1978), it is one of the most powerful concepts to be introduced into the post-Freudian era. In Worlds of Experience, Dr. Stolorow and two eminent colleagues elaborate on intersubjectivity, going beyond the clinical and theoretical questions of earlier work to explore the philosophical underpinnings of psychoanalytic theory and practice. The culmination of three decades of collaborative work, this book will be essential reading for academics, students, and clinicians.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published December 7, 2002

Reviews

[A Low Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so appreciate the perspective and works of both Donna Orange and Robert Stolorow, and to have had them writing in collaboration is a gift. Their call to understand psychoanalysis as a contextual intersubjective experience whose field includes both the life of the patient and practitioner should be a foundation that all therapists start from. Their call for practitioners to understand the philosophical roots that the ideas that this Eurocentric discipline was founded upon, and for individual practicing it to take the time to articulate their own philosophical beliefs and understandings so as to better understand themselves and how they’re understanding their clients…yes, yes and yes. Their takedown of the Cartesian ideal of the isolated mind is effective and still necessary despite how long we’ve understood the harm this ideal has caused. In this day when we’re starting to look more closely on the cultural biases are embedded within our mental health (and other) paradigm, Orange, Stolorow, and Atwood show us what cultural humility and reflectiveness from clinicians can look like.