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    Desire in psychoanalytic psychotherapy: the writings of W.R. Bion

    Giffney, Noreen (2013) Desire in psychoanalytic psychotherapy: the writings of W.R. Bion. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy 27 (3), pp. 215-227. ISSN 0266-8734.

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    Abstract

    This paper considers the place of desire in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, by undertaking a close reading of some of Wilfred Bion's writings on the subject. Focusing on his dictum that therapists should enter their consulting rooms without desire, this paper provides an overview of why Bion believes that the therapist's foregoing of desire is conducive to psychoanalytic work. This paper outlines his preference for primary ignorance, negative capability and acts of faith to facilitate the therapist experiencing what is going on in the here and now as fully as possible. This paper argues that Bion's concept of the caesura is useful for thinking about how the transition from being with desire to being without desire might take place for the therapist.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): Bion, desire, discourse, caesura, clinical technique
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Depositing User: Sarah Hall
    Date Deposited: 26 Feb 2015 14:07
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:15
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/11749

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