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ABSTRACT
It is the purpose of this paper to draw out and elucidate the spiritual dimension of analysis both for the analyst and the analysand, and, in that process, to shed light on crucial aspects of the process that are implicit in much contemporary psychoanalysis, but largely ignored and rarely articulated. It is the contention of this paper that the analyst brings more than a certain type of “attitude” to the analytic endeavor. The very being of the analyst drives the unique engagement with the patient we call psychoanalysis, and that is why the process is fundamentally spiritual. My intent is to show that the recognition of this spiritual dimension of analysis has significant implications for the nature of the process and the therapeutic action of analysis.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
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Notes on contributors
Frank L. Summers
Frank L. Summers, Ph.D., ABPP, is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, a supervising and training analyst at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute and the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis. Author of more than 70 journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Summers has authored four books on psychoanalytic theory and practice from an object relations perspective, including The Psychoanalytic Vision, winner of the Gradiva Award as the best psychoanalytic book of 2013. An associate editor of Psychoanalytic Dialogues and a member of the editorial board of Psychoanalytic Psychology, Dr. Summers has lectured widely and given workshops across the United States as well as internationally. A complete list of his work can be found at www.franksummersphd.com. Dr. Summers maintains a private practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy in Chicago, Illinois.