Bion and Primitive Mental States by Judy K. Eekhoff - 9781032149103

Taylor & Francis

Bion and Primitive Mental StatesTrauma and the Symbiotic Link\nAuthor(s): Judy K. Eekhoff\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9781032149103, 978-1032149103\nSynopsis\nThis clinically focused book explores W. R. Bions thinking on primitive and unrepresented mental states and shows how therapists can work effectively with traumatized patients who are difficult to reach.\n\nThe author illuminates how trauma survivors suffer from direct access to primal undifferentiated positions of the psyche that lie outside the symbolic order of the mind and are resistant to treatment. This access, unmediated by symbolic representation but represented in the body, disrupts the normal trajectory of development and of relationship. Integrating theory and clinical application, the book addresses processes of symbolization, somatic receptivity, and the use of countertransference when working therapeutically with undeveloped areas of the mind.