The Intimate Edge: Extending the Reach of Psychoanalytic Interaction [Paperback]

Darlene Bregman Ehrenberg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393701409 | ISBN-13: 978-0393701401 | Publication Date: June 17, 1992 | Edition: 1

From an interactive perspective, the author proposes a "theory of therapeutic action", focusing on what is healing in psychoanalysis, whether or not it evolves from "technique".

Using vivid case examples, she looks at the "intimate edge", intense encounters and playfulness in a way that is based in traditional psychoanalytic thought and yet open to the possibilities of the moment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (June 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393701409
• ISBN-13: 978-0393701401
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bottom-Line of Self, January 15, 1998

By 

Steven J. Cormier "Steve Cormier" (Battle ground, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Intimate Edge: Extending the Reach of Psychoanalytic Interaction (Paperback)

Ms. Ehrenberg's basic concept is so simple, so compelling, and so true--desire is the root of all overt motivations, and self-denial is the source of all psychological pathologies. It's not a brain-chemistry imbalance of genetic origin, requiring life-long drug therapy--it's as simple as being hurt, denied, and abused, often in subtle ways. We aren't in some way--genetically, spiritually, intellectually, designed to be self-destructive--we are warped by early experience to devise clever, yet universally self-limiting strategies to protect our most intimate selves. Ms. Ehrenberg exposes this with insight, humor, and most importantly, freedom to expose herself, in a way that is unusually daring, and, as in her therapy, liberating to those who experience it. I was helped greatly by this book, and recommend it to anyone who feels in any way limited by their fears of being hurt.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is so very human, September 3, 2001

By 

Susan G. Dunn "The EQ Coach" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Intimate Edge: Extending the Reach of Psychoanalytic Interaction (Paperback)

Whether you're in the therapy room, or out in the real world, you'll gain strength and compassion from this excellent book. How do you convince a terrified patient to endure therapy, she asks, and answers with Lacan's "with supply we create demands". To some degree or another, we've all been hurt, abused, neglected and she clarifies how to keep a relationship "grounded, so that it does not become ambiguous and terrifyingly open to unfounded assumptions" so that the relators do not lose touch with one another. The answer is in attending to the sublest interactions and clarifying the immediate moment -- in other words being fully present with the other and talking about what's going on. Easily said! How rarely put into practice! For those of us in the helping professions, this book in invaluable, but it probably would benefit anyone interested in the intricacies of human relationships. For someone as erudite as she, Dr. Ehrenberg writes very clearly. I will put much of this into use in my coaching practice and also my personal life.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent treatise on the value of interpersonal process, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Intimate Edge: Extending the Reach of Psychoanalytic Interaction (Paperback)

"The Intimate Edge" is a book that transcends the boundaries of psychoanalytic work and displays the power of genuine interpersonal engagement in the therapeutic endeavor - regardless of form or orientation. For those who liked books by other interpersonal or relational writers (Teyber, Kiesler, Mitchell) this book is a real gem.