The past continues to operate powerfully, wordlessly, in that less conscious part of our human mind and can trip us up unexpectedly. We can perceive and respond to situations in ways which are more to do with early experiences than the present. We can push from mind what we would rather not know. Feelings such as doubt and sadness can seem too weak; envy and anger, too bad; feeling small and in any way in need, could leave us too vulnerable.
Though most will never have their own experience of psychoanalysis (or less intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy), psychoanalytic ideas can be profoundly helpful in making sense of ourselves. Having some access to those more hidden parts of our human mind, we can feel more alive, more real and less likely to act out in unexpected ways.
An accessible, sympathetic and challenging guide, The Rough Beast: Psychoanalysis in Everyday Life is for all those who are curious and sceptical as to what, why and how psychoanalytic understanding is useful in everyday life.
Acknowledgements Prologue 1) Introduction: What is psychoanalysis? 2) Fundamental Freud; 3) How does psychoanalysis work? 4) The downside of change Part I Analytic understanding of early life 5) The baby 6) The mother and the environment Part II Freedom of thought 7) The mad 8) The bad 9) The sad 10) The good and the sane Part III Conflict through the life stages 11) The young child and Oedipus 12) The child: Resolving or evading Oedipus 13) Early adolescence and the changing body 14) Late adolescence Part IV Adulthood 15) Love 16) Parenting 17) Work and play 18) Mid-life 19) Old age 20) Conclusion Appendices References Index
Biography
Denise Cullington is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Oxford, UK. She trained at the Institute of Psychoanalysis, the Tavistock Clinic, London and as a clinical psychologist. Prior to that she lived and painted in the US and in Puerto Rico. Her book Breaking Up Blues (2008, Routledge) brought analytic thinking to the task of managing break-up and divorce.
"What a range of treasures are here to be found, to be enjoyed and to be learned from. Somehow Cullington manages to cover all stages of life, and all of it simply described with her delightful imagination and skills of description, and each supported by telling clinical vignettes...
All of this is so beautifully written some readers may find this book almost impossible to put down. But there are such riches to be discovered here, this remarkable book calls out to be read and re-read. There will be more to find and to enjoy with each reading.
It is so readily accessible, and yet much of it so profound, it will reward readers from any stage of clinical experience and, just as readily, any ‘ordinary’ reader who is curious about psychoanalytic ideas and how these can support and enrich them along life’s journey. We are indebted to Denise Cullington for sharing with us the rich benefits of her study and life-long clinical experience. Bravo!" --Patrick Casement, author of the well-known Learning From... series of books
"I enjoyed the passion that she brings to her presentation of the analytic apporach and her plea for its relevance and value today." --Therapy Today (March 2019)
In praise of Breaking Up Blues:A guide to survival and growth (Routledge, 2008):
"This is the kind of thing that gives psychoanalysis a good name...full of that kind of concrete but gradual, hard earned human growth. The basic premise - that there are no easy routes or short-cuts, is so heartening to read, in a world where that’s all people look for. You really faced the human condition, and in doing so empowered your readers." --Steve Biddulph, Author, Raising Boys, Manhood
"Unique in its combination of depth and accessibility. It deserves to be a classic." --Margot Waddell, Tavistock Clinic
"This is a book that lives and breathes for those looking for practical help in the middle of marital disarray ... a beacon of understanding at what are often some very dark moments … jargon-free." --Anthony Cantle, B J Psychotherapy
"Compelling authority and depth that grabs the attention of the reader from the outset … hugely helpful... it left me feeling hopeful." --Christopher Vincent, B J Fam Therapy
"The author teases out all the tangled threads of feeling, and once disentangled they seem less frightening, enabling the overwhelmed confused person to feel that he/she is a sane person who is upset and caught up in a process, rather than a crazy person who is trapped and not understood. I wish I'd had your book thirty years ago." --Dr Gill Flower, Amazon.co.uk review
"She writes with a kind of controlled urgency... . I kept almost hearing this, an echo of off-page laughter, and a sure sign of wisdom... The book never talks down to the reader: its talkative register, and a complete absence of evasiveness in the advice, means that the person addressing you may be terse, funny, sometimes brusque – but can be trusted.... It's terrific." --Jim Pye, Oxford Psychotherapy Society Bulletin
"If you are in an unsatisfactory relationship – or if you've already broken up and you're unhappy about it – then this book will not only make you feel better, it will help you avoid making the same mistakes again." --Jonathan Self, Author, Self Abuse
"The reader is taken with immense empathy from devastation to personal growth, whilst every aspect is addressed, never hesitating to challenge and reality test opinions and beliefs .. I would not hesitate to recommend it to clients." --Jenny Bloomer, Therapy Today
"Rich psychological insights are expressed in a refreshingly direct and accessible way." --Journal of Analytical Psychology, (54) 2009
"Highly recommended" --Judith Wallerstein, Author, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce
"A wise and practical book" --Dorothy Rowe
"Excellent" --Bel Mooney
"It was such a riveting book with so much information that had to read it a bit at a time. I had sever aha moments and even laughed out loud. I started to 'mark' the book with pertenent
passages and then I realized I was 'totally' marking it." --Nancy J. Shepherd, Amazon.com review"This is a self-help book with a difference… unique in its comprehensiveness." --Joan Wexler, JAPA
"The wide range of non-analytic source material and Cullington’s readiness to mingle it with analytic ideas and case material reveals her as an accessible clinical practitioner with an enquiring mind, whilst supporting her assertion that these ideas thread through the whole of human experience. "
-Andrew West, https://afwest.com/"Accessible and sympathetic throughout, the book is also challenging. The author describes it as something that she might have liked to have read at the age of 18 and I agree that it offers a very comprehensive introduction to psychoanalysis, but it is also much more. Confidently examining themes such as need, vulnerability and separation, and experiences such as parenting, she places the impact of our own experiences on how we act and react to things life throws at us. One could say that the author’s intention to provide a book she might have read at 18 is perhaps too modest a description of a work that is also an introduction to all life’s stages." - Katya Orrell, Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists and Forensic Psychotherapy Society
