The Relational Revolution in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

by Steven Kuchuck

Relational psychoanalysis can accommodate the shockwaves in the world and the most intimate encounters between analyst and analysand and show how they are intertwined. This timely and elegant book is an invitation to understand the workings and theory of relational therapy at a time when issues of identity, attachment and the democratizing of psychoanalysis are at the centre of concerns in the field."

Dr. Susie Orbach, psychoanalyst, and author of Fat is a Feminist Issue, The Impossibility of Sex, and Bodies

The relational revolution led to what is arguably the most radical revision of our understanding of how to effect healing and change in the mind since Freud's ground-breaking work more than a century ago. In this concise yet comprehensive overview, Steven Kuchuck addresses core theories as well as newer, cutting edge trends within relational psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. This book defines postmodern relational concepts, and offers a clear, thoughtfully curated examination of relationality and its impact on psychoanalytic technique for both experienced clinicians and those newer to the field.

Genres: Psychology, Psychoanalysis

181 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2021

Reviews

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good, very brief, very concise introduction to relational psychoanalysis.

Author Steven Kuchuck is a TOTAL mensch.

He does a FANTASTIC job of boiling this material into a very readable, relatable and clinically useful form.

BRAVO!!!

So…

What (the fuck) is relational psychoanalysis (RP)?

I’m so glad you asked.

RP is relatively recent and still evolving school of psychoanalytic thought based in a two person (as opposed to a one person) psychology, and emphasizing the importance of relationships in human emotion and experience of self.

RP began in the 1980s as an attempt to integrate interpersonal psychoanalysis with British object relations theory, self psychology and attachment theory.

RP asserts that personality emerges from early formative relationships (attachment experiences) with caregivers e.g. parents (mostly mom, let’s face it) and other figures. RP assumes that therapeutic value emerges from the closely attuned, authentic, empathetic therapeutic relationship.

RP is philosophically allied with feminist and queer theory, as well as social constructionism and other forms of postmodern thought in that:

RP assumes that the analyst’s subjectivity and subjective experience is important to the therapeutic process, and affords the analyst the option to self disclose in ways that traditional psychoanalysis would consider anathema.

RP depathologized homosexuality and LGBTQ identity - yes that’s right, up until the 1990’s, psychoanalysis considered being gay or trans or queer a mental illness. RP was amongst the first schools of psychoanalysis to reject that (completely reprehensible) notion.

The author of this book, Steven Kuchuck describes what it was like to be a gay analyst at this time, and to work with gay clients. Kuchuck reflects on how unhealthy it was for him to withhold his own queerness, in masked silence, particularly with gay clients struggling with their own patholgized sexuality.

RP acknowledges race and intersectionality as important to the therapeutic process. Again, up until the 1990’s psychoanalysis didn’t think much about issues of race and class at all (at least not formally), with notable exceptions.

Kuchuck reflects on a growing body of BIPOC RP analysts who write extensively on the subject of racial transference and countertransference in analysis.

RP understands that the analyst and analysand co-create treatment (as opposed to putting the analyst in the expert role and the analysand in the patient role).

Kuchuck reflects on the radical role of intersubjectivity in RP, whereby the subjective experience of the analysand is co-created (discovered and explored) within the therapeutic dyad, rather than via authoritarian analyst interpretation of the analysands “subconscious” experience.

RP deemphasizes “one size fits all” therapeutic models and techniques in favor of a deeply personalized, and emergent “here and now” orientation.

Kuchuck reflects on the alive, ideographic and largely improvised approach to RP that emerges in the moment of therapy, based on principles and broad theory rather than relying heavily on techniques and nomothetical modalities.

Much more to say on this topic.

But that’s it for now.

GREAT BOOK.

Couldn’t put it down.

5/5 stars ⭐️

[Dovilė Stonė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perskaičiau laukdama autoriaus birželį atvykstant į Lietuvą. Dabar laukiu dar labiau.

“...so many of us are drawn to the psychoanalytic profession in part as an opportunity to hide, to subjugate our personhood for the sake of rescuing first our parents, and now patients. It’s not unusual for many in the profession to have strong masochistic tendencies born of swallowing needs in order to play the role of caretaker, referred to as ‘controlling–caregiving strategy’ in the attachment literature (Liotti, 2011). When we theorize, present and write, a natural extension of this dynamic emerges in an almost exclusive focus on the patient’s psychology rather than our own, as had been the case in childhood, training and in our practices.”

“If we assume the relational/Relational premise that human development and functioning are based on object seeking and intersubjectivity, and that the infant and child long to know the parent’s mind in order to develop, grow and know his own mind, can we truly know our patients if they don’t know us? Can they know and comment on who we are, if we are dissociated from and defended against key elements of our subjectivity?”

“...most patients want to know, impact and transform the analyst as much as they hope to be similarly affected by the treatment.”

“Awareness of one’s subjectivity – to the extent that this can exist in any absolute sense (see Chapter 2) – is not enough to make our interventions anything other than what they always are: contingent, biased and suggestive (as opposed to unearthing of the so-called ‘objective’ truth of the patient’s experience that traditional analysis dictates we must unearth). ”

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kuchuck's primer introduces prominent concepts, ideas, and movements that make up relational psychoanalysis. He highlights inherent tensions, conflicts, and growth points for the relational movement. He communicates complicated ideas clearly and succinctly. While his book is original and contributed to the field of relational psychoanalysis, it is also a fantastic place to start for anyone interested in learning about the relational movement.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool 🥵

[Adam Mollen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine yeah

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of relational psychotherapy, pointing to history, current writings and practice. I was excited about the final chapters focusing on current social issues and directions things might go in the future, but I feel those chapters read more like a list of names of people to read and be aware of along with statements of things being better than they were and that more needs to me done, so I was a bit disappointed that those chapters were not a more engaging read.

Overall, an ambitious project that I think Kuchuch pulls off well.