Withdrawal, Silence, Loneliness: Psychotherapy of the Schizoid Process

This book presents the concept of the schizoid process: those clients with a fragmented sense of self who struggle with internal criticism, shame, and relational withdrawal. An informative and therapeutically useful work, it is full of ideas to guide an understanding of the schizoid process and of how to engage a client’s sense of self.Richard G. Erskine is joined by eight colleagues – Silvia Allari, Leigh Bettles, Dan Eastop, Linda Finlay, Ray Little, Lynn Martin, Marye O’Reilly-Knapp, Eugenio Peiro Orozco – in a thought-provoking work highly recommended to all clinicians.Part I provides an introduction to the schizoid process and an understanding of the concepts and therapeutic interventions required, helpfully illustrated through relevant vignettes that retain the subjective experience of therapist and client.Part II, the heart of the book, contains a longitudinal case study of Allan. This focuses on the narrative of the psychotherapy sessions interwoven with several salient concepts. It is followed by the observations of two colleagues on the process of the psychotherapy. A representation of professional dialogue, which is so central to refining the practice of psychotherapy.Part III looks at the clients’ perspective, including a chapter written by a client to provide her personal views on her internal experience of psychotherapy. The final part contains a chapter on the five-year psychotherapeutic journey of a client, Louise. This chapter demonstrates how the theory of the schizoid process is put into therapeutic practice. Read more