Subjects of Analysis

"Thomas Ogden has already achieved a reputation as a gifted contributor to the psychoanalytic literature. His ability to integrate the complexities of object relations theory and to innovate upon them with such rare creativity has long been recognized internationally. In his latest work, Subjects of Analysis, he transcends this reputation. "Intersubjectivity has recently become a new flash word for many analysts of different schools for attempting to transcend the limitations of the concept of countertransference, which itself derives from the one-person model. In Ogden's hands it becomes a dynamic and virtually poetic instrument for capturing the elusive subjective/intersubjective ghosts of the consulting room. His recounting of his reverie during sessions with patients elevates the mundane recordings of his distractions into a highly sensitive psychoanalytic subjectivity that he is able, with consummate effort, to place at the disposal of the analysis. His efforts to do so shine through the work and constitute one of the finest displays of the artistry of analysis that I have ever witnessed. "This book is a work of dedication, of beauty, and of art. It helps us to come to grips with a depth and with a totality of intersubjective intimacy in analytic work that has hitherto been difficult to conceive. One's work with patients and how one conceptualizes it will be forever changed from the experience of reading these pages. Mine already has."