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A Trick of the Light
Unpublished draft psychoanalytic theory paper, 2006
To the reader: The first half of this essay is autobiographical. Toward the middle, I introduce complexity theory and related ideas, and sketch out a model — Experiential Field Theory. You can skip to that part if you are less interested in the specific path taken.
More recently, I’ve become interested in active inference, and have been thinking about how experiential models of psychotherapy can be grounded in this work, with a loosely organized approach articulated Active Inference Therapy (AIT): A Comprehensive Model.
Author’s note: I saved this draft in 2006 after completing a writing mentorship with Sandra Beuchler as a mentor. That would make it almost 18 years old, according to algebra.
I am forever grateful to her. She said that I had found my “voice” — that was important to hear. I never tried to publish this paper, A Trick of the Light. The title refers to the way in which the psychoanalytic process, similar to other common and core processes, reminds us that to a signicant extent reality is how you look at it, and what you make of it. I see I managed a classic rock reference, Peter Gabriel — I tend to do this. Needless to say, the influence of my analyst and “lineage” is evident to those within that group, and appreciated with endless…
