From Dualism to Oneness in Psychoanalysis ─ A Zen Perspective on the Mind-body Question

From Dualism to Oneness in Psychoanalysis: A Zen Perspective on the Mind-Body Question focuses on the shift in psychoanalytic thought, from a view of mind-body dualism to a contemporary non-dualistic perspective. Exploring this paradigm shift, Yorai Sella examines the impact of the work of psychoanalysts and researchers such as Winnicott, Bion, Daniel Stern and Kohut and delineates the contributions of three major schools of psychoanalytic thought in which the non-dualistic view is exemplified: (1) intersubjective; (2) neuro-psychoanalytic; (3) and mystically inclined psychoanalysis.

Reaching beyond the constraints of dualism Sella delineates the interdisciplinary approaches leading to psychoanalysis's paradigm shift. Focusing on the unique contribution of Zen-Buddhism, the book draws on Ehei Dogen's philosophy to substantiate the non-duality of subject and object, body and mind - ultimately leading from alienation and duality to what Bion has termed "at one-ment". The way in which psychoanalytic theory and practice may develop further along these lines is demonstrated throughout the book in a variety of clinical vignettes.

This book will inform the practice of all psychoanalysts, mental health professionals, psychotherapists and clinicians interested in body-mind issues in psychotherapy, in the philosophy of psychoanalysis, and in East-West dialogue.

Yorai Sella, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, a psychoanalytic and Humanistic-integrative psychotherapist and a member of Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis. He co-directs the East-West Integrative Psychotherapy training in the School of Social Work and teaches in the Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.