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"Courting Aliveness: A Review of Vitalization in Psychoanalysis, Perspectives on Being and Becoming" is a collection of essays edited by Amy Schwartz Cooney and Rachel Sopher that explores the concept of vitalization in relational psychoanalysis. The book emphasizes the importance of creating emotionally alive connections between patient and analyst, drawing on various theories and perspectives. The contributors share clinical stories that highlight the role of vitalizing enactments and the therapist's countertransference urgency in fostering therapeutic growth. The book also explores the therapist's role as an enlivening object and the potential for transformative experiences in the therapeutic relationship. [Extracted from the article]

This can be particularly helpful with patients who are focused on the world of calendars and deadlines and with traumatised patients who dissociate or minimise the impact of trauma on their lives. Then, Chapter 1 discusses the nature of psychological trauma and provides useful phenomenological perspectives such as "repetition without reminiscence", "radical alterity", "the Thing", and trauma being both a presence and an absence. Containing therapist responses can include the following, among others: calm, empathic connecting with the patient in a moment of meeting, interpreting what the patient is experiencing, increasing structure, increasing therapist activity and offering specific recommendations. When therapists deeply connect with traumatised patients, they will often experience trauma-related phenomena. [Extracted from the article]

This article reflects my personal and professional dislocation resulting from the World Trade Center disaster. Through the act of writing and an active reading of the professional literature, I attempt to re-establish equilibrium, to restore confidence, and to rekindle a sense of purpose and meaning in the helping process, both for myself and for the reader. Examined is the literature related to memory and its connection to the phenomena of trauma, "psychache," compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, countertransference, and burnout. It concludes with guidelines for "being present" and for self-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]