ABSTRACT
This chapter shows what a Levinasian-inspired, ethically-infused psychoanalytic psychotherapy can uniquely offer the patient who suffers from anxiety and depression, and other types of problems in living that are not usually part of the normative account of psychoanalytic treatment. It is structured around three practical questions that are pertinent to the patient/analyst encounter: what's the problem, how did it get there, and how can we fix it. The chapter also describes a case vignette of an extraordinary man the author treated (and still treat), initially presenting with an agitated depression (and many other serious problems), to illustrate some of the theoretical points and to give a real-life feel to how a Levinasian-inspired, ethically-infused psychoanalytic psychotherapy works. Vincent is a retired insurance salesman/supervisor who first came to the author about fifteen years ago in an extremely bad emotional state, actually on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
