‘In his brilliant and highly influential work, Philip Bromberg wrote from his deeply personal immersion in clinical process, not from the intention to create a systematic theory. This approach, while it led Bromberg to create some of the most gripping prose in the psychoanalytic literature, can make the systematic understanding of his body of work elusive. Now, in this highly illuminating introduction by Bass and Ceccoli, we have for the first time an overview of Bromberg’s work, presented in a way that, while preserving its “feel,” systematically teaches the ideas and lays out the history of their development. This book immediately becomes the place to start if you are beginning to read Bromberg; but it is just as profitable for readers who have read Bromberg for years. I knew the man well and have been deeply influenced by him; and even with that background, I learned a great deal from reading this text. I recommend it highly.’Donnel B. Stern, William Alanson White Institute, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis ‘Ceccoli and Bass have poured their hearts and minds into this exploration of the work of Philip Bromberg. It’s not just the ideas of Bromberg they convey, but the experience of sitting with him and soaking in his sensibilities, an experience to savor. With great clinical agility and nuance, they have captured many of the essences of what Bromberg embraced in his inimitable casually intense regard for what he could sense was hidden in people below their own radar. Using clinical vignettes and cogently collecting and elaborating on Bromberg’s most salient contributions to psychoanalysis, they have rekindled, for me, the light that was Philip. Their writing is a gift for all of us.’Richard A. Chefetz, MD, Washington-Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis; Intensive Psychotherapy for Persistent Dissociative Processes: The Fear of Feeling Real, W.W. Norton, 2015.‘Bass and Ceccoli deftly capture the essence of the ‘Brombergian’ ethos as they transport the reader into the felt experience of Philip Bromberg’s remarkable clinical thinking. From the quotidian to the sublime, the authors harness their understanding of Bromberg’s insights into self-state-sharing and the unparalleled importance of a clinical encounter that feels personal and real, while also knowing that in the clinical dyad, this must be a two-way street. With exquisite clarity, Bass and Ceccoli explicate and expand Bromberg’s contributions to unpacking the complex internal and relational consequences of developmental trauma as it influences dissociation, multiplicity, and the importance of a dyadic self-state model in transforming enactments from therapeutic impasse to therapeutic action. Readers cannot help but become immersed, participating with the authors in an emergent creative process that, in its ingenuity and creativity, would be right after Bromberg’s heart. In addition to offering a profound contribution in their own right, the authors give of us the gift of bringing Bromberg near. One can easily imagine him wanting to ask the reader “What was it like for YOU reading this book?” And as you contemplate your answer, perhaps you’ll feel Bromberg not only ‘standing in the spaces’ next to you, but also sitting with you as you spontaneously savor every morsel.’Jean Petrucelli, Ph.D., Training & Supervising Analyst, William Alanson White Institute; Editor of the book Body-States: Interpersonal/Relational Perspectives in the Treatment of Eating DisordersThis truly is the book I would have wished for in training. As the authors note, Bromberg’s articles and books are readily available. What has not existed until now is an overview and synthesis of his work in one highly readable volume. By citing the ways in which this beloved teacher and supervisor continues to influence Bass and Ceccoli, the reader is invited to discover their own Philip Bromberg. In that respect, as Bromberg himself might have noted, this volume is an enactment of his most firmly held belief; psychoanalysis is best understood, practiced and learned as a subjective and intersubjective venture. Dr. Steven Kuchuck, author of The Relational Revolution in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, former president of IARPP, and Editor of the Routledge Relational Perspectives Book series‘In this enlightening study, Bass and Ceccoli testify to the profound influence of Philip Bromberg on their analytic thinking and on that of generations of students and colleagues. This is an engaging and lucid exploration of the complex elements bridged in Bromberg’s theory and practice. For all who are interested in the functioning of the mind and in the collisions and negotiations of the therapeutic relationship – both experienced clinicians and the humanist reading public – it offers a valuable new mapping of Bromberg’s achievement.’ Avivah Zornberg, author of The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious
