Parent-infant psychodynamics : wild things, mirrors and ghosts : a reader designed for a variety of professionals working with expectant parents, babies and their families, and for parents and students in pursuit of psychoanalytic understanding

This text focuses on the interweaving psychic realities and unconscious dynamics between family members in the context of changing patterns of socio-cultural expectations, ethical considerations and biological realities. Cover Dedication Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Contributors Introduction: On wildness and ghosts - an introduction to psychoanalytic thinking PART I: Face to Face - Containment and Early Exchange Chapter 1: Face and façade - the mother’s face as the baby’s mirror Chapter 2: Mirror-role of mother and family in child development Chapter 3: Conversations with a two-month-old Chapter 4: Emotions and emotional communication in infants Chapter 5: Where the wild things are Chapter 6: The experience of the skin in early object relations Chapter 7: A theory of thinking PART II: Unprocessed Residues Chapter 8: Ghosts in the nursery: a psychoanalytic approach to the problems of impaired infant-mother relationships Chapter 9: Therapeutic interventions in infancy: two contrasting cases of persistent crying Chapter 10: Sleep problems in babies and young children Chapter 11: Into the night: children’s dream books Chapter 12: Unconscious communication Chapter 13: The dead mother complex PART III: Representations and Reality Chapter 14: Joy and woe: response to prenatal testing Chapter 15: Parenting an infant with a birth defect - the regulation of self-esteem Chapter 16: Amanda: observations and reflection on a bottle-fed baby who found a breast mother Chapter 17: Cannibalism and succour: is breast always best? (thoughts on ‘Amanda’) PART IV: Management Issues Chapter 18: Psychoanalytic insight and relationships Chapter 19: Understanding the language of babies Chapter 20: The effect of infants’ behaviour on maternal mental health Chapter 21: Management of perinatal loss of a twin Chapter 22: Pregnancy after stillbirth or neonatal death: psychological risks and management Chapter 23: Feeding disorders Glossary Subject Index Author Index This book focuses on the interweaving psychic realities and unconscious dynamics between family members. These are set in the context of changing patterns of socio-cultural expectations, ethical considerations and biological realities. The broad spectrum of topics encourage self-reflective thinking about the role of health care professionals working with families at various phases of the life cycle, in illness and health. In particular, recognition of risk factors relating to areas of emotional vulnerability in clients and their impact on the practitioner. It is intended for interested parents, students on a variety of training courses and professionals such as midwives; health visitors; social workers, couple counsellors; child therapists; parent - infant or family therapists; general practice nurses and doctors, psychiatric nurses; fertility experts; obstetricians and gynaecologists, etc. working with expectant parents, babies and their families. Contributors include: Acquarone, Balint, Bick, Bion, Bourne, Brazelton, Bryan, Daws, Fraiberg, Green, Grier, Hawthorne, Hopkins, Lewis, Murray, Spitz, Trevarthen, Tronick, Winnicott, Wittenberg, Wright