The Race Conversation: An Essential Guide to Creating Life-changing Dialogue

Eugene Ellis

The Race Conversation explores how the damage and distress caused by racism lives not just in our minds, but principally in the body. As well as helping us to develop a cognitive understanding by exploring the history and development of the race construct, the book focuses specifically on the non-verbal communication of race, both as a means of social control and as an essential part of navigating oppressive patterns. This guide supports black, white, people of colour and mixed heritage people to emerge from the tight grip of race discomfort to a trauma-informed, neurophysiological approach that emphasises resourcing, body awareness, mindfulness and healing.

“With this book, Eugene Ellis confirms his standing as an exceptional theorist and a pioneering activist. The strength of his approach lies in its focus on the body: on how the race construct and its traumas are held in the bodies of people of colour and white people. Ellis’ idea of putting the race construct on the couch as a client is nothing short of brilliant. This work is ideal for any in-depth training, whether involving students or more experienced clinicians.” — Professor Andrew Samuels, former Chair, UK Council for Psychotherapy

“In this insightful and accessible book, Eugene Ellis tackles a challenging topic with candor, honesty and courage. He manages to clarify the complexity of the race construct and its debilitating impact on our bodies, mental health, and relationships, while instilling hope for healing this legacy. Readers will find themselves inspired by knowledge and empowered by awareness so that enriching conversations about race become possible.” — Pat Ogden, PhD, Founder, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and author of The Pocket Guide to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Context

Publication: 4 March 2021
Paperback, 306 pages
ISBN: 978-1-913494-26-1

Purchase paperback here << RRP £16.99

Learning from the Unconscious: Psychoanalytic Approaches in Educational Psychology

Edited by Christopher Arnold, Dale Bartle and Xavier Eloquin

Each of us has an inner world, influenced by experience, environment and the people and places we encounter. As individuals engaged with children and those around them, educational psychologists enter a multitude of systems and relationships with the intention of helping. This often involves working in a context of confusion, conflict and creativity, a dynamic tension which is reflected in the chapters of this book. Designed to give both students and practitioners access to the experience of engaging with a dynamic unconscious, this volume investigates some of the key tenets and principles of psychoanalytic theory and demonstrates ways in which educational psychologists have used both theory and practice in their roles. Each chapter approaches a recognisable activity from educational psychology practice and provides an account of how psychoanalytic theories about our unique inner worlds and our unconscious processes can inform and enrich these interactions.

“This is a great book and an enjoyable read which I would recommend for all educational psychologists… chapters discuss a wide range of practical applications of psychoanalytic theory; with individual children and young people as well as considering school leaders, groups of school staff and work which has its focus upon whole organisations and their structures. There is much to be learnt, or reminded of, from reading this book.” Dr Cate Mullen, West Sussex Educational Psychology Service

“The contributions in this volume impressively demonstrate that psychoanalytic concepts are very well suited to understanding the particular problems of children, their families, professionals and institutions in the field of education… a great asset for all those who are looking for a compass for orientation in the world of education.” Prof. Dr. Christoph Steinebach, President of the European Federation of Psychological Associations and faculty member at the School for Applied Psychology, ZHAW, Switzerland

Publication: 4 February 2021
Paperback, 352 pages
ISBN: 9781913494230

Purchase paperback here << RRP £32.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £20.89

The Relational Revolution in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Steven Kuchuck

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.

“A timely and elegant book. A primer, but more than that, an invitation to understand the workings and theory of relational therapy and psychoanalysis at a time when the issues of identity, attachment and the democratising of psychoanalysis are at the centre of concerns in the field. Relational psychoanalysis is a capacious discipline. It can accommodate the shockwaves in the world and the most intimate encounters between analyst and analysand and show how they are intertwined. Read it!” – Dr Susie Orbach, Psychoanalyst and author of Fat is a Feminist Issue, The Impossibility of Sex, and Bodies

“Steven Kuchuck’s highly nuanced account offers as many questions as answers, and so stays true to the revolutionary project of replacing absolutist views of technique with recognition of the complexity that arises when we envision therapy as a meeting of minds, a co-creation in which the analyst is a full participant. [This] much-needed primer, sparkling with insight and wisdom, will be invaluable for readers within and outside the clinical field.” – Jessica Benjamin, Ph.D., author of Beyond Doer and Done to, and The Bonds of Love

Publication: 31 March 2021
Paperback, 208 pages
ISBN: 978-1-913494-14-8

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

Resilience and Survival: Understanding and Healing Intergenerational Trauma

Clara Mucci

Resilience stands at the limits of what it means to be human. The opposite of vulnerability, it defines qualities that are both relational and innately enforced. Mucci explores contemporary therapeutic approaches to intergenerational trauma, focusing on the key principles that can foster resilience and healing. She looks through the prism of attachment, neuroscience, memory, literary memoir and other frameworks to ask what traits constitute a predisposition to resilience – in individuals, and in society.

Forthcoming May 2021
Paperback, 168 pages
ISBN: 978-1-913494-10-0

What is Normal? Psychotherapists Explore the Question

Edited by Roz Carroll and Jane Ryan

Can ‘‘being normal’’ ever be observed and tested? Who defines the norm of mental health? Is it constrained by a social concept of normal? And how do we ever reach an understanding of ‘‘not normal’’. An outstanding collection of therapists consider how their profession is engaging with these questions.

What this book reveals so clearly is that, when probed, the notion of normality is fragile and shifting. It is not clear who decides what being normal means in any historical moment, or who is entitled to say. Nonetheless, concerns with conforming, fitting in, and being accepted are deeply pervasive. For most, being normal is a goal, and deviation from accepted norms feels like failure. Yet many people do not really feel normal. When sexuality, gender, health, ethnic group or any other common variation on the dominant theme is at play someone can feel out of step with this elusive standard. Others depend on being different to be creative, radical and discerning. Readers may conclude that it is our very uniqueness as individuals that makes us usual, and that we rely on our edge dwellers for cultural growth.

Contributors:
Meg-John Barker, Doris Brothers, Roz Carroll, Christopher Clulow, Tania Glyde, Jane Haberlin,
Brett Kahr, Isha Mckenzie-Mavinga, Phil Mollon, Dany Nobus, Chris Oakley, Susie Orbach, Andrew Samuels, Ann Shearer, Stephen Seligman, Stephen Setterberg, Valerie Sinason, Foluke Taylor, Lennox Thomas, Felicity de Zulueta

Purchase paperback here << RRP £17.99

The Truth about Trauma and Dissociation: Everything You Didn’t Want to Know and Were Afraid to Ask

Dr Valerie Sinason

An accessible and sensitive guide to the key concepts involved when working with people who have experienced trauma and dissociation, this book covers all degrees of trauma – from complex, childhood attachment ruptures, sexual abuse, torture, war and, even the coronavirus pandemic. Through this compassionate and sensitive work, Valerie Sinason shows us what is needed to understand some of the worst possible experiences without a loss of feelings.

“This amazing little book helps each of us to speak and understand the unspeakable. Are we brave enough to know the truth in this dangerous but lifegiving journey? The book warns and encourages us that knowing can retraumatise at each life stage but also make us strong. Enjoy the clarity and beauty of Valerie’s whistle-stop tour of trauma and dissociation.” – Baroness Hollins, Emeritus President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

“Valerie Sinason ventures into troubled emotional spaces to hear what we don’t know and, often, don’t wish to know. In plain language she has enabled us to see forms of cruelty and the psychic consequences which lead to the extreme splitting of psyches into dissociated and multiple self-states … A book of interest to clinicians and a much wider audience.” – Dr. Susie Orbach, Psychoanalyst, author and Founder of The Women’s Therapy Centre

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

Dangerous Lunatics: Trauma, Criminality, and Forensic Psychotherapy

Professor Brett Kahr

“Only Brett Kahr could produce such a masterpiece as Dangerous Lunatics. Written in a stunning literary style, Kahr’s book combines his unique expertise as a clinician and as an historian to tell this vital tale about how we have treated criminals throughout the ages and how we might do much, much better in the future!” – Professor Estela V. Welldon, Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Portman Clinic, London, and Honorary President for Life of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy.

“What a magnificent book! A carefully researched ‘tour de force’, encompassing a history of criminality and madness through exquisitely described stories. It offers hope that one day we might actually rehumanise the dehumanised, making the world a safer place for all.” Dr Carine Minne, Consultant Psychiatrist in Forensic Psychotherapy, Portman Clinic and Broadmoor Hospital

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

The Brain has a Mind of its Own: Attachment, Neurobiology, and the New Science of Psychotherapy

Professor Jeremy Holmes

“This book is a visionary tour de force.  It will serve as a guide to every clinician’s thinking.  It takes a significant step towards realizing Freud’s ambition of establishing a viable neuroscientific model for psychotherapy. It is one of the most valuable contributions to the field this Century.” Professor Peter Fonagy OBE, Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science, UCL.

“If Sigmund Freud were working now, he would be advising us to read this rich and thought-provoking new book. The examples are profound and beautiful; and Jeremy’s work is a reminder that psychotherapy will always be both an art and a science.” Dr Gwen Adshead, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist.

“The Free Energy Principle is the cutting edge of modern neuroscience. It is also notoriously difficult to grasp. Here, Jeremy Holmes explains it in terms that psychotherapists can understand so easily that it feels as if we always understood it.” Professor Mark Solms, University of Cape Town.

“As one of the architects of the free energy principle, it was a true joy – and something of an eye opener – to see how mathematical intuitions can be artfully unpacked to explain our transactions with others. This book renders problems such as these in a new, grounded and revealing light.” Professor Karl J. Friston, Scientific Director, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, UCL

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

Towards an Ecopsychotherapy

Mary-Jayne Rust

“Mary-Jayne Rust provides a succinct, heartfelt overview of ecopsychotherapy. Given the current state of global environmental destruction, the wisdom in this book is needed now more than ever.” Jeffrey T Kiehl, Jungian analyst, climate scientist, author of Facing Climate Change

“In her characteristic style, Mary-Jayne presents ecopsychotherapy in an incisive way, with her richness of experience bringing the subject to life. This thought-provoking book touches on the heart of controversies in this field – our need to grow new terminology – and to actively ensure our spaces are inclusive. This is an invaluable introduction to ecopsychotherapy and is also sure to deepen the work of more seasoned practitioners.” Emma Palmer, Body psychotherapist, BACP-accredited counsellor, ecopsychologist, supervisor, trainer and author of Other Than Mother.

“If psychotherapy is to remain relevant, it must change and recognize that we exist as part of, not apart from, Nature.  I trust Mary-Jayne Rust more than anyone else to guide us there.”  Jerome Bernstein, Jungian Analyst, author of Living in the Borderland.

“An intelligent and beautifully written contribution to an important new development in psychotherapy, one which will be increasingly important in the future. Mary-Jayne Rust is a recognised pioneer in the field, and we are fortunate to have her share her experience with us.” Nick Totton, Psychotherapist, trainer and author of Wild Therapy

“As humans we are not apart from the ecosystem. Our being-ness is interwoven with earth, sky and all that lies between. In this beautifully written book, Mary-Jayne Rust shares her considerable experience as a psychotherapist working ecopsychotherapeutically within the greater context of our planetary situation and current ecological and climatic crises.” Caroline Brazier, psychotherapist, author of Ecotherapy in Practice – A Buddhist Model

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

Body Psychotherapy for the 21st Century

Nick Totton

“Nick Totton has been a pivotal figure in Body Psychotherapy, both as a historian and as a continual innovator and critic of the whole psychotherapy field. This book has the vitality of genuine re-appraisal and both frankness and rigour in its argument and questions. Definitely a thought-provoking and up to date read.” Roz Carroll, relational body psychotherapist, trainer and author.

“An exquisite introduction to Body Psychotherapy, describing the influences on its development and the models of working so that people new to this approach will be able to get an image of it. It also offers an excellent and clear overview that can be used by professionals in their further development of theory and methods.” Lidy Evertsen, Chair of Think Tank of the European Association for Body Psychotherapy

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

Pathologies of the Self: Exploring Narcissistic and Borderline States of Mind

Dr Phil Mollon

“One of the most original thinkers in the mental health profession, Dr Phil Mollon has written a rich and readable portrait of the complexities of narcissistic and borderline states of mind.  Drawing upon a generous range of psychological theories and clinical data, Mollon has provided us with a veritable master class, illuminating these deeply troubling – indeed malignant – features of the human personality.” Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health, Regent’s School of Psychotherapy and Psychology, Regent’s University London

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99

The New Sexual Landscape and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

Danielle Knafo and Rocco Lo Bosco

“This new volume is a truly outstanding contribution to psychoanalytic thinking. It is a wake-up call to all practitioners… We clinicians must adjust to a sea change in how gender and sexuality are evolving and how these transformations are related to our digital era. […] I highly recommend [this book] to anyone who is interested in the future of psychotherapy in an era dominated by technology.” Glen O. Gabbard, MD, Clinical Professor Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine.

“This splendid book will deliver new ideas to clinicians and academics and is a gift to all of us who want to think about sexuality more deeply – and less anxiously. It is not only an updated erotic encyclopedia […] but it’s also a tender exploration of the psychic work that sexual play accomplishes. Readers should expect to be shocked, perhaps even thrilled, but also unexpectedly touched and moved.” Virginia Goldner, PhD Founding Editor, Studies in Gender and Sexuality, Faculty, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.

Purchase paperback here << RRP £12.99

Purchase ebook here << RRP £9.99