Abstract

Since its formation in 1965, the Philadelphia Association has carved out a unique position in the world of psychotherapy, particularly through its engagement with philosophy, especially phenomenology and post-phenomenology. It has also developed and maintained a critical and sceptical questioning of much that is taken for granted both in the theory of psychoanalysis and in the various practices of psychotherapy. With contributions from leading members, this book shows some of the rich and provocative thinking within the Philadelphia Association today and constitutes an intervention on a number of questions central to the development of psychotherapy. For example, John Heaton questions psychotherapy's concepts of normality while Peter Lomas questions psychotherapy's lack of a sense of wonder and its need for what he calls re-enchantment. Guy Thompson subjects the idea of the unconscious to a rigorous scrutiny from a Heideggerian position and Barbara Latham looks at the much-neglected but crucial issue of language in therapy from the standpoint of someone who is not just a therapist but a writer of stories. This book will be of interest to psychotherapists and counsellors who have an interest in philosophical issues. It will also be of interest to anyone looking for new and challenging perspectives on therapeutic matters.