Analyst of the Imagination: The Life and Work of Charles Rycroft

by Jenny Pearson

Overview

Charles Rycroft's lucid jargon-free approach to psychoanalysis inspired a whole generation. Taking inspiration from many fields outside psychoanalysis, including history, literature, linguistics and ethology, he established the important link between mental health and the imagination, creating a broader perspective and encouraging free thinking. This solitary and creative "rebel" rarely received the recognition he deserved, but this collection of articles and papers by people who felt the benefit of his ever-curious, expanding wealth of knowledge, goes some way to acknowledging the debt owed to him, and introducing a new generation to this innovative analyst.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781855759046
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/11/2004
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	830,180
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jenny Pearson read English at Bristol University and worked as a journalist on The Times in the 1960s, after which she became a freelance journalist, writer and editor. Her first book, co-written with Jack Lambert, was Adventure Playgrounds (1974). She is a contributing editor of Discovering the Self Through Drama and Movement: The Sesame Approach (1996). She has trained as a counsellor with WPF and as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with AIP. Her most recent book, co-edited with Frankie Armstrong, is about voice work and its effect on women’s attitudes, entitled Well-Tuned Women: Growing Strong Through Voice Work (2000). She was married to Charles Rycroft from 1978 until his death in 1998.

Table of Contents

Introduction — Charles Rycroft: a memoir — Outstanding within the “impossible” profession — Charles Rycroft’s contribution to contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy — Charles Rycroft and ablation — The development of Charles Rycroft’s thought — Insiders and outsiders — The question of independence in psychotherapy — Rebel Rycroft — A brief history of illusion: Milner, Winnicott, Rycroft — On bridging continuity and precision: the hidden music of psychoanalysis — Charles Rycroft and the historical perspective — The innocence of Charles Rycroft — Glimpses of a life — Further glimpses — The last word …

Editorial Reviews

"In an era in which psychotherapy and psychoanalysis have become increasingly bureaucratized, and true innovation becomes increasingly rare, the late Charles Rycroft remains in our memories as a beacon of both inspiration and independence, unshackled by dogma and unimpressed by party politics. One of the very first psychoanalysts to write regularly for the general public, Rycroft helped convey psychological ideas to a wide audience, often risking the disapprobation of his more conservative colleagues in the process.

Jenny Pearson has produced a beautiful festschrift, which celebrates the work of Dr. Rycroft, reminding us of the soul, the passion and the intelligence of one of the outstanding figures in twentieth century British psychoanalysis. This poignant and readable portrait deserves a prominent position in the library of every mental health professional."

Brett Kahr

"In an era in which psychotherapy and psychoanalysis have become increasingly bureaucratized, and true innovation becomes increasingly rare, the late Charles Rycroft remains in our memories as a beacon of both inspiration and independence, unshackled by dogma and unimpressed by party politics. One of the very first psychoanalysts to write regularly for the general public, Rycroft helped convey psychological ideas to a wide audience, often risking the disapprobation of his more conservative colleagues in the process.

Jenny Pearson has produced a beautiful festschrift, which celebrates the work of Dr. Rycroft, reminding us of the soul, the passion and the intelligence of one of the outstanding figures in twentieth century British psychoanalysis. This poignant and readable portrait deserves a prominent position in the library of every mental health professional."

From the Publisher