I never heard of Adam Phillips until yesterday. He turned up in my Amazon recommendations (which I tune obsessively; much of what I've learned in the last couple years I owe to the communities behind the collaborative filtering that delivers these otherwise inaccessible clues). Here's what the Amazon reviewer says about another of his books...

What is psychoanalysis good for? The British essayist and psychotherapist Adam Phillips believes it's good for creating the sense that everyday life is worth approaching with wonder. In Terrors and Experts, Phillips redefines the terms in which many people discuss -- and dismiss -- psychoanalysis. He does this by examining it as a social practice, not a science, and criticizes analysts that believe that if they and their patients simply find things out, all their patients' problems will go away. Says Phillips, "When a doctor tries to solve every problem, rather than help his patient tolerate the terrifying uncertainties of introspection, he becomes an expert on human possibility, something no one could ever be, despite the posturing of our own favorite authorities."

Sounds good to me. If the books are as good as the titles and covers, sign me up as a fan. There is a conversation going on in the psychoanalytic world, and it seems unknown to most of us who might be most amazed by it. There aren't many conversations going on these days that are anywhere near as profound and urgent in their implications. For the most part, this flow of ideas is deep and humane and scary, intellectually and emotionally and morally honest -- precisely because it explores what those sorts of words could possibly mean today. Whatever you may think, it's not what you think. There is a professional jargon, to be sure, and it can seem impenetrable at first. There's also a history that has grown enormously since Freud (and beyond), and continues to evolve. All this can be daunting, yeah. But to my mind, it's well worth the trip. I doubt I'd have much mind left if I hadn't stumbled onto this stuff -- with considerable help from Don Williams (even though I'm pretty down on the Jungians these days). At any rate, if you're at all intrigued, Adam Phillips might (I'm not sure, but he might) be a good way in. Or, if you're more like me (there are worse things you could be; though not many), you could go straight off the deep end...