This book addresses the current demand to apply findings in neuroscience to a broad spectrum of psychotherapy practices. It offers clear formulations for what has long been missing in how psychotherapists present their work: research-based descriptions of specific memory functions and attention to the role that synaptic plasticity and neural integration play in making lasting psychological change possible. The book provides a detailed perspective on how patients integrate into their own narratives what transpires in their treatment and how the clinician's memory guides the different phases of the process of healing.Long-neglected in psychotherapeutic formulations, findings about memory-in particular, episodic and autobiographical memory-have a direct bearing on what happens in treatments. Whether the information is about the recent past, such as what happened between sessions, or about traumatic childhood experiences, the patient's disclosures are in the service of a more complete narrative about self. At the same time, the therapist's ways of remembering what occurs in each therapeutic relationship will guide much of the healing process for the patient. Training certain memory functions is therefore critical to how therapists perform-far more significant than procedural techniques and paradigmatic formulations.

About the Author
Soren R. Ekstrom, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in the Boston area. He has for many years been active in training future clinicians and has published papers about cognitive science and psychoanalysis in various journals. He has been the president of the C. G. Jung Institute of New York and served as an academic advisor for the Blanton-Peale Institute in New York City. Currently, he is an instructor and supervisor at the C .G. Jung Institute, Boston and one of the editors for the 'Journal of Analytical Psychology'. His recent lectures have included such topics as narrative and metaphors in dreams and memory in the therapeutic alliance.

Reviews
'A remarkable synthesis of neuroscientific research on memory with clinical practice and analytic theory, Memory and Healing is a book to guide us into the future of psychotherapy. Soren Ekstrom does the work of a generation in bringing our understanding of memory in the therapy process into line with neurobiological findings. This book will impact not only on the way therapy is conducted, but also how it is taught to the next generation of aspiring practitioners.'- Joseph Cambray, PhD, past President, International Association for Analytical Psychology



Book Information
ISBN 9781782200321
Author Soren R. Ekstrom
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Karnac Books
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd