International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, Sep 3, 2007
Dr. Rodin points to our papers as illustrative of the process of mutual development that probably... more Dr. Rodin points to our papers as illustrative of the process of mutual development that probably inheres in any in-depth analytic process, and also how our papers illustrate in detail the interplay of mutuality and asymmetry in analysis, even in the most difficult of times. Dr. Rodin also raises very meaningful questions about ethical considerations, which I have done my
"Editor’s Note: In this article, which will be published in a collection of writing on relat... more "Editor’s Note: In this article, which will be published in a collection of writing on relational issues applied to ethics, Lynne Jacobs, prominent Gestalt therapist and writer, develops a model of ethics which arises from examination of the field and context in which therapy takes place. She uses vivid examples from her own experience and clinical practice to show how therapists might focus their awareness on the ethics of their practice, primarily by attending to the issues of care, inclusion and openness to dialogue. She describes how this stance can be challenged by circumstance both distal and proximal, by events both in the consulting room and in the wider world; and she illustrates how these are inevitably linked. By attending to ourselves and to our work with this in mind, she suggests, an ethical practice that develops authentically from the therapeutic dialogue can inform and guide us, perhaps more helpfully than one imposed somewhat arbitrarily from the outside. Key words: Gestalt therapy, ethics, care, inclusion, dialogue, context, therapeutic task."
": The following article is largely a stream-of-consciousness reflection on being a racially... more ": The following article is largely a stream-of-consciousness reflection on being a racially-conscious white therapist in racially divided America. It focuses specifically on working with African-American patients, addressing such themes as white anxiety, white skin privilege, lack of awareness of whiteness as a socio-political power construct, and white guilt. An illustrative case example takes the reader through how the themes listed shaped the therapist's subjectivity and alternately enhanced and inhibited the therapeutic pmcess. Key words: race relations, crosscultural therapy, whiteness, black-whi te relations, sociology of therapy."
": This paper undertakes to elaborate various understandings of'support', including ... more ": This paper undertakes to elaborate various understandings of'support', including its complexity, its emergent quality, its intimate interlrvining with creative adjustment, and its bidirectionality. Key words: support, context, creative adjustment, emergence, bi-directionality."
Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand, May 1, 2007
The article is a recording of an interview with Erv Polster in conversation with Lynne Jacobs at ... more The article is a recording of an interview with Erv Polster in conversation with Lynne Jacobs at the GANZ Conference, Melbourne on September 8th 2006. It refers to the Gestalt therapy in Australia and New Zealand that was practiced by Erv and Miriam Polster.
In this brief Commentary, I point the reader to the eloquent, evocative experiential writings tha... more In this brief Commentary, I point the reader to the eloquent, evocative experiential writings that are the forte of the Polsters. While providing some examples of such writing, I also point to a tendency to obscure theoretical contradictions.
ABSTRACT The word dignity encompasses more than we can say of it. It is difficult to define, and ... more ABSTRACT The word dignity encompasses more than we can say of it. It is difficult to define, and yet we work with it every day in our offices. I explore various ideas about dignity, and then examine the place of dignity in the process of analysis and therapy. I draw out psychological components of dignity that are often strong themes in our psychoanalytic work. Many patients come to therapy as a result of assaults on their dignity, or from the effects of family situations that are so corrosive that they never developed a sense of their own dignity. For these patients, I think of therapy as a process of either finding or restoring dignity.
ABSTRACT This commentary on, “The Paranoid-Schizoid Position and Envious Attacks on the Black Oth... more ABSTRACT This commentary on, “The Paranoid-Schizoid Position and Envious Attacks on the Black Other,” by Ebony Dennis, asserts that there are differences between hate and hatred. I discuss white hatred in terms of the chronic stress on white narcissistic adaptations in the face of the history of white dehumanization and erasure of black people.
Developing a double-consciousness as a therapist changes the nature of Gestalt therapy dialogue s... more Developing a double-consciousness as a therapist changes the nature of Gestalt therapy dialogue subtly. It means that the dialogue is always occurring between people who are raced, who are placed in specific locations regarding power, privilege, and oppression. This article focuses on encouraging white therapists to practice living with double-consciousness.
International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, Sep 3, 2007
Dr. Rodin points to our papers as illustrative of the process of mutual development that probably... more Dr. Rodin points to our papers as illustrative of the process of mutual development that probably inheres in any in-depth analytic process, and also how our papers illustrate in detail the interplay of mutuality and asymmetry in analysis, even in the most difficult of times. Dr. Rodin also raises very meaningful questions about ethical considerations, which I have done my
"Editor’s Note: In this article, which will be published in a collection of writing on relat... more "Editor’s Note: In this article, which will be published in a collection of writing on relational issues applied to ethics, Lynne Jacobs, prominent Gestalt therapist and writer, develops a model of ethics which arises from examination of the field and context in which therapy takes place. She uses vivid examples from her own experience and clinical practice to show how therapists might focus their awareness on the ethics of their practice, primarily by attending to the issues of care, inclusion and openness to dialogue. She describes how this stance can be challenged by circumstance both distal and proximal, by events both in the consulting room and in the wider world; and she illustrates how these are inevitably linked. By attending to ourselves and to our work with this in mind, she suggests, an ethical practice that develops authentically from the therapeutic dialogue can inform and guide us, perhaps more helpfully than one imposed somewhat arbitrarily from the outside. Key words: Gestalt therapy, ethics, care, inclusion, dialogue, context, therapeutic task."
": The following article is largely a stream-of-consciousness reflection on being a racially... more ": The following article is largely a stream-of-consciousness reflection on being a racially-conscious white therapist in racially divided America. It focuses specifically on working with African-American patients, addressing such themes as white anxiety, white skin privilege, lack of awareness of whiteness as a socio-political power construct, and white guilt. An illustrative case example takes the reader through how the themes listed shaped the therapist's subjectivity and alternately enhanced and inhibited the therapeutic pmcess. Key words: race relations, crosscultural therapy, whiteness, black-whi te relations, sociology of therapy."
": This paper undertakes to elaborate various understandings of'support', including ... more ": This paper undertakes to elaborate various understandings of'support', including its complexity, its emergent quality, its intimate interlrvining with creative adjustment, and its bidirectionality. Key words: support, context, creative adjustment, emergence, bi-directionality."
Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand, May 1, 2007
The article is a recording of an interview with Erv Polster in conversation with Lynne Jacobs at ... more The article is a recording of an interview with Erv Polster in conversation with Lynne Jacobs at the GANZ Conference, Melbourne on September 8th 2006. It refers to the Gestalt therapy in Australia and New Zealand that was practiced by Erv and Miriam Polster.
In this brief Commentary, I point the reader to the eloquent, evocative experiential writings tha... more In this brief Commentary, I point the reader to the eloquent, evocative experiential writings that are the forte of the Polsters. While providing some examples of such writing, I also point to a tendency to obscure theoretical contradictions.
ABSTRACT The word dignity encompasses more than we can say of it. It is difficult to define, and ... more ABSTRACT The word dignity encompasses more than we can say of it. It is difficult to define, and yet we work with it every day in our offices. I explore various ideas about dignity, and then examine the place of dignity in the process of analysis and therapy. I draw out psychological components of dignity that are often strong themes in our psychoanalytic work. Many patients come to therapy as a result of assaults on their dignity, or from the effects of family situations that are so corrosive that they never developed a sense of their own dignity. For these patients, I think of therapy as a process of either finding or restoring dignity.
ABSTRACT This commentary on, “The Paranoid-Schizoid Position and Envious Attacks on the Black Oth... more ABSTRACT This commentary on, “The Paranoid-Schizoid Position and Envious Attacks on the Black Other,” by Ebony Dennis, asserts that there are differences between hate and hatred. I discuss white hatred in terms of the chronic stress on white narcissistic adaptations in the face of the history of white dehumanization and erasure of black people.
Developing a double-consciousness as a therapist changes the nature of Gestalt therapy dialogue s... more Developing a double-consciousness as a therapist changes the nature of Gestalt therapy dialogue subtly. It means that the dialogue is always occurring between people who are raced, who are placed in specific locations regarding power, privilege, and oppression. This article focuses on encouraging white therapists to practice living with double-consciousness.
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Papers by Lynne Jacobs