For if the simplest moral rule is not to do to another what you would not wish to have done to you, the ethical rule of adulthood is to do to others what will help them, even as it helps you to grow.

Erik Erikson

Paul Wachtel's new book is coming out next month:

Making Room for the Disavowed, Reclaiming the Self in Psychotherapy

guilford.com/books/Making-R…

In fact, one might say that the processes of developing and resolving problems in alliance are not the prerequisites to change, but rather the very essence of the change process.

Safran & Muran

Barry Magid, MD. Your Ordinary Mind.

This superposition is an apt metaphor of our most interior experiences. We may lead a life—even develop a personality—around never opening the door, around never looking inward, around treating the precariousness of the plates as a permanent, rigid boundary. What if we break?

Allowing someone to use a defense that seems obvious can be an act of kindness.

Not every self-congratulatory comment needs to be mocked and exposed.

Not every self-protective narrative needs to be popped and corrected.

There may be pain underneath the veneer.

Psychoanalysis: Past and Present: A Dialogue with Nancy McWilliams

From Converging Dialogues with Xavier Bonilla

convergingdialogues.substack.com/p/244-psychoan…

This conversation between David Puder M.D. and Jonathan Shedler is gold. Really a treat to hear examples of how Jonathan works in the here & now. Highly recommend a listen.

psychiatrypodcast.com/psychiatry-psy…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Louder for the academic psychologists in the back.

“There is a strong evidence-base for a psychodynamic approach, supporting primary theoretical tenets as well as the treatment effectiveness.“
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10…

Psychodynamic clinicians, how important do you think studying Freud is for contemporary practice?

Feel free to expand upon your thoughts in the comments below.

Our role is in sanctioning the patient to think thoughts that his parents have discouraged or forbidden him to think, to experience feelings his parents have discouraged or forbidden him to experience, and to consider actions his parents have forbidden him to contemplate.

Bowlby

Clinicians, what tips or pointers would you give graduate students on conducting brief therapy?

I'm revamping a seminar on the subject and would love to hear your thoughts/insights.

If children are reared in such a way that basic trust and autonomy are both denied, then they often view their own quest for healthy independence as unforgivably mean.

George Vaillant

I’ve always thought that love and commitment and intimacy don’t just belong to the world of romantic couples.

Esther Perel, on friendship

As long as there’s stigma for being in therapy, it will be devalued.