Fictional Clinical Narratives in relational psychoanalysis

In a collection of twenty-two short stories beginning at a moment of trauma in adolescence, Christina Moutsou illustrates both contemporary clinical issues as well as the relational and intersubjective nature of the therapy relationship. 

What distinguishes this collection of fictional narratives is the focus on an internal point of view, where the reader is invited to experience first-hand the vicissitudes of the psychoanalytic dialogue and the enduring marks that trauma and loss leave on each member of the therapeutic dyad. The focus here is how narratives are constructed and deconstructed through the intersubjective dance between the therapist and the patient. Both are transformed through the process. The fictional nature of the stories also allows for the exploration of sensitive issues that are difficult or awkward to explore adequately using direct case studies from real-life examples. 

This fascinating and unusual work provides an innovative method of exploring everyday clinical dilemmas, using an accessible, easy to follow narrative path. It is written from a broadly relational perspective but will appeal to all psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists as well as to the wider public.