Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows that infant intersubjectivity is a challenge to both the reductive cognitive perspective and the classical psychoanalytical view of primary narcissism. It explores the potential of neuroscience research for psychotherapeutic practice, and sounded a note of caution at adopting an instrumental view of therapy, based on the current models from neuroscience. The book describes how the work of affective neuroscience, especially in the field of responses to early trauma. It also describes the impact of neuroscience research and thinking on psychotherapy in a more general way, highlights the importance of "critical reorganization" as essential to therapeutic change, and explains, most interestingly, on how the therapist maximizes opportunities for this change through the therapeutic relationship. The book shows that babies are born with intrinsic regulatory capacities, by which they are motivated to engage in a relationship.