Working with Resistance
Dr. Martha Stark is a phenomenon. Her courses in postgraduate education are legendary. Now, with this volume, she distills her teachings into an accessible and lively dialogue that captures her inimitable style. (Alfred Margulies)Working with Resistancedemonstrates how the therapist first identifies, then respectfully works with—rather than against—the inevitable resistances and conflicts which stand in the way of the patient's growth. Her writing style conveys the same clarity and steadiness so apparent in her clinical work. Simply, but not simplistically, she integrates the complexity of the contemporary classical, object-relations, and self-psychological perspectives with her rich clinical material. Every page ofWorking with Resistanceis imbued with personal tact and her deep respect for the patient. Dr. Stark's crystal-clear thinking woven into the clinical material makes her writing a lucid gem. Her book is destined to become a new standard for our field; it is a literary tour de force. (Axel Hoffer)Martha Stark is a gifted teacher, able to clarify without sacrificing complexity. No one is better at conveying the essence of psychoanalytic theory, through careful explanation and practical examples. InWorking with ResistanceStark forges a unified basis for psychotherapy, drawing on the strengths of the major schools of psychoanalysis. Beyond the rationale and method of our work, Stark captures its joy. (Peter D. Kramer)In order to explore a patient's resistance and refusal to grieve, Stark draws on concepts from classical psychoanalysis, object relations theory, and self- psychology. She presents a model of the mind that takes into consideration the relationship between unmourned losses and how such losses are internally recorded as both absence of good, and presence of bad. (Book News, Inc.)