Psychoanalytic Studies of Somatization and Body Dysmorphia

This book explores importance of the body in psychoanalytic theory and practice, and sets out a new model for studying clinical treatment of somatization and body dysmorphic disorders based on Multiple Code Theory.

The body in trauma and its treatment has never been more topical, yet the shift to online therapy has made patients' somatic experience harder than ever to reach. An extended clinical case illustrates these new approaches to the psyche–soma connection, tracing how a treatment evolved over time. The book brings psychoanalytic thinking about the psyche–soma up to date with developments in cognitive science and linguistics, strengthening the scientific foundations of psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalytic Studies of Somatization and Body Dysmorphia: The Half-Body Man is essential reading for psychoanalysts and mental health professionals seeking to understand serious mental disturbances that find expression in bodily symptoms (e.g., trauma, body dysmorphic disorder, somatoform disorders, and borderline and narcissistic personality disorders). It will also be indispensable for graduate students and researchers, interested in psychotherapy process research.