Quaker Resonances in Psychoanalytic Thinking

Denise Cullington

So, when we write something, we want to be able to reach others. I’m writing to let Friends
know that two books I wrote earlier are now in the library at 43. You may be interested to
know of them. Both bring psychoanalytic ideas in relation to everyday life, for the
everyday reader. And I think Quakers will find much that resonates. The approach is not a
spiritual one, but one that attends to the unconscious in ways that I think many of us will
recognise and may find useful. The ideas are Quakerly in that they concern what we all
grapple with; unwanted and painful feelings such as sadness, anger, vulnerability, jealousy,
hatred and self-hatred- which when we push them aside can also have their own
impact on us.
The first book, Breaking Up Blues is, like it says on the tin, about breakup and divorce, about
guilt and grief, wish to blame, about the addictiveness of battles – and all that can get in the
way of moving on and parenting well for the future. The second, The Rough Beast:
Psychoanalysis in Everyday Life, stemmed from my pleasure in writing the first, and my
feeling that analysts are generally lousy at writing for the general reader, and what a
loss that is, because some of the ideas are powerful and useful. You can find the first
chapter of both books on the Amazon Look Inside page (sorry), and the many reviews.

 

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Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 527 • March 2023
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