Table of Contents
Preface vii
Introduction 1
Introducing Four Case Studies 1
Why Psychoanalytic? 3
Why Pastoral Psychotherapy? 4
Why Postmodern? 13
Why Relational? 17
Postmodern Theology? 18
Psychoanalytic Pastoral Theology: An Oxymoron? 21
Part 1 A Theological and Theoretical Framework
Chapter 1 A Relational Understanding of Persons 35
What Are Human Beings That You Are Mindful of Them? 38
Human Beings Are Good/Human Beings Are Vulnerable 40
Human Beings Are Embodied 41
Human Beings Are Both Alike and Unique 43
Human Beings Are Intrinsically Relational 50
Human Beings Are Multiple 51
Human Beings Are Mutable, Fluid, and in Process 61
Human Beings Are Loving Beings 65
Conclusion 66
Chapter 2 A Relational Understanding of God 67
The Multiplicity of God 67
Trinity as Fluid Metaphor 76
Implications toward a Relational Pastoral Praxis 82
Conclusion: A Multiple/Trinitarian, Relational Pastoral Theology 94
Chapter 3 A Relational Understanding of Health and Unhealth 95
Human Beings Are Vulnerable; Human Beings Are Both Alike and Unique 96
The Role of Diagnosis in Pastoral Psychotherapy 96
Pastoral Assessment and Theological Reflection 98
The Role of Theory in Diagnosis 98
Pathology, Sin, and Evil: Human Beings Are Good; Human Beings Are Vulnerable 117
Part 2 Practicing Pastoral Psychotherapy
Chapter 4 The Therapeutic Process: Overview and Getting Started 135
Goals of Therapy and Overview of the Therapeutic Process 135
The Initial Phase: Committing to the Therapeutic Relationship 138
Human Beings are Both Good and Vulnerable: Preconditions for Fruitful Therapeutic Work, and Providing a Safe Container 142
Human Beings are Multiple: Meeting the Parts 153
Practical Matters: Particular Challenges for Pastoral Psychotherapists 156
Chapter 5 The Middle Phase and Termination: Multiplicity in Action 185
Empathy: Human Beings are Intrinsically Relational 185
Working in the Transference 190
The "Fundamental Rule": Free Association 191
Interpretation/Exploration 192
Other Modes of Symbolic Communication 196
Human Beings Are Multiple: Working with the Parts 203
Countertransference and the Use of the Therapist's Self 216
Repetition, "Resistance," and "Working Through," 226
Enactments 227
Empathic Failures and Transmuting Internalization: Human Beings Are Mutable, Fluid, and in Process 231
The "Analytic Third," 233
The Termination Phase 234
Chapter 6 The Therapeutic Sensibility: Chaos, Silence, Love 239
Chaos 239
Silence 242
Therapeutic Love 243
Conclusion 247
Abbreviations 249
Notes 251
Glossary of Psychoanalytic Terms 325
Index of Names 339
Index of Subjects 343
Index of Biblical References 359
