Mastering Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy: A Roadmap to the Unconscious

by Josette Ten Have-De Labije, Robert J. Neborsky

Over two decades, on two continents, Robert J. Neborsky and Josette ten Have-de Labije have struggled to define and perfect the therapeutic methods of Habib Davanloo. Between the two of them, they run active training groups in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., London, Amsterdam, Warsaw and Scandinavia. In individual practice, in teaching situations and in partnered study, they have worked carefully to translate the theory and application of the revolutionary clinician's approach. This book, "Roadmap to the Unconscious," defines the terms, observing ego, attentive ego, punitive superego, transference, transference resistance, unconscious therapeutic alliance, working alliance, unconscious impulse, in very precise and clinically meaningful ways. "Roadmap" translates Davanloo's intuitive genius into precise language and operations that students can learn in a systematic and clear way. Thus, applying their methodology fulfills the promise of short term, effective, and safe psychotherapy for a broad spectrum of highly resistant psychoneurotic and characterologically disturbed patients.

Genres: Psychology

432 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2012

Reviews

[howl of minerva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent introduction to this form of therapy which has always had an aura of mystery. Davanloo drastically accelerates the therapeutic process by rapidly eliciting defences and resistance and working with transference reactions. This is often parodied as 'just being a prick' to patients. In fact the technique can be quite profound when you see it in action. The therapist disrespects the pathological resistance to empower the healthier parts of the patient's psyche.

Davanloo always emphasised that the only way to really learn this kind of therapy is by watching videotaped sessions and by doing therapy. Nonetheless, many people starting out feel that a didactic primer would be handy.

In many ways, this text fills that gap. It's good on clarifying the terminology and I liked the way it integrated physiological and psychological aspects of things like anxiety. It also provides a very rough map to working with different types of psychopathology.

Unfortunately, the text is riddled with typos and solecisms far beyond what's acceptable. I don't just mean in therapy transcripts but in the main body of the text. I'm really not anal about these things but at times the text is completely nonsensical. It seems to have been written by non-native English speakers (which is fine) with a complete absence of editorial support (which is not). I was also a bit shocked that at one point, the therapist calls the patient "woman". As in: "woman, you come here with your problems...". Really? Unless the therapist is Bob Marley I think that's kinda inappropriate. The complex diagrammatic system that the authors come up with to explain the system is hobbled by the absence of clear explanation and the fact that the publishers evidently cheaped out on colour plates for the 'traffic lights'. Sorry guys, that means you have to rethink your diagrams, not just print them in b&w.

These are all fixable issues and I hope the next edition is much improved. Onwards!