British Independent tradition

Domain I · Psychodynamic & depth psychology · Christopher Bollas · Britain

What it is

Sourcing note. The primary books and the 1983 countertransference paper are not drawn on in full. Descriptions of chapter content come from knowledge of the texts plus secondary summaries. Unconfirmed detail is tagged.

Format

• Formats. Bollas's work assumes three:
• Psychoanalysis. Four to five sessions a week, usually on the couch, open-ended and often lasting years.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• A rote narrative. It is working when the breakdown starts to make emotional sense to the patient.
• Assuming every feeling comes from the patient. It is working when your hypothesis predicts later material.
• Colluding by becoming the magical transformer. It is working when the patient can value ordinary, partial changes.
• Moralising. It is working when the patient catches themselves doing it, and the inner voice softens or becomes curious.
• Flattery, or reinforcing compliance with your tastes. It is working when such moments recur and the patient takes more risks.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.