Divine Therapy Love, Mysticism and Psychoanalysis

There is mounting evidence that strong personal relationships and spiritual beliefs contribute to our well-being. Divine Therapy explores the healing illumination of oneness with another, achieved through love, religious and mystical experience.
Janet Sayers, author of Mothering Psychoanalysis and Freudian Tales, approaches the topic by analysing the pioneering writings of William James, Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, Simone Weil, and of post-Freudians, Erich Kristeva. Using these studies of eminent psychologists and psychotherapists, Sayers explores the insights of love, religion and mystical experience to describe how they might inspire therapy.
Richly illustrated with love letters, biographical details, clinical and other examples, Divine Therapy is written to appeal to all mental health specialists, therapists and those intrigued by the enigmas of love, religion and psychotherapy.

Many debate whether religion is good for our health. Starting with this question, Janet Sayers, author of Mothering Psychoanalysis and Freudian Tales, provides a fascinating account of today's psychotherapy. Divine Therapy is told through love stories. They highlight the risks and healing transformations of what some call 'at-one-ment' with another in love, mysticism, art and psychoanalysis. Sayers movingly explores this by drawing on the philosophical and psychological writings of William James, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Sabina Spielrein, Simone Weil, Erich Fromm, Paul Tillich, Viktor Frankl, Melanie Klein, Adrian Stokes, Marion Milner and Donald Winnicott. She ends with one of the major figures of current psychoanalysis, Wilfred Bion, and with the insights of his followers, notably Christopher Bollas, Neville Symington and Julia Kristeva. Illustrated with love letters, pictures, biographical details and case histories, Divine Therapy tells an intriguing chronicle of science, religion and therapy that also constitutes an engaging overview for students, specialists and general readers alike.

1 - William James: Divided Self
2 - Sigmund Freud: Freeing Love
3 - Carl Jung: Transforming Libido
4 - Simone Weil: Awaiting God
5 - Erich Fromm: Humanist Buddhism
6 - Paul Tillich: Being Accepted
7 - Viktor Frankl: Logotherapy
8 - Melanie Klein: Healing Grace
9 - Marion Milner: Recovering Mysticism
10 - Donald Winnicott: Transitional Transcendence
11 - Wilfred Bion: Transforming At-one-ment
12 - Julia Kristeva: Mothering Holiness

After graduating from Cambridge, Janet Sayers qualified as a Clinical Psychologists from the Tavistock Clinic. She is now Professor of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the University of Kent, where she gained a PhD in Psychology, and also works as a therapist. Sayers is the author of six books, editor of three, and has contributed numerous essays and articles to the psychotherapeutic literature.