It Takes Two to Know One

This book explores the nature of relational psychoanalysis in clinical practice, drawing on the author’s over four decades of clinical experience as a first-generation relational psychoanalyst and many of his foundational papers written over the past 25 years. Bass’s book demonstrates the depth, scope, and healing power of mutual transformation for patient and analyst within an elastic and flexible analytic frame. Patient and analyst demonstrably co-create the psychotherapeutic space, situation, structure, and experience, and together, promote mutual growth and healing. Drawing on the revolutionary work of Sándor Ferenczi, this book expands our understanding of therapy as a “dialogue of unconsciousness,” revealing the ways in which the bi-directional currents of unconscious communication may be creatively utilized as an essential therapeutic tool. It sheds light on the conditions and approaches best suited for actualizing a flexible, contextual, creative use of the therapist's self in therapy, establishing an ever-deepening foundation for therapeutic work. With illuminating case studies and accessible language, this book is a must-read for psychotherapists practicing a wide range of dynamically informed approaches and for anyone interested in learning about new developments in therapy as it is practiced today.