Routledge Above the Ground and Beneath the Clouds: Schizophrenia in Lacanian Psychoanalysis

Product Description Above the Ground and Beneath the Clouds examines the history, conceptualisation, and treatment of the psychotic sub-type of schizophrenia, as this is advocated by psychoanalysis of Lacanian orientation, which is contrasted to modern psychiatry. The book's main focus is the status of the schizophrenic body and language. The ways in which these concepts can be of theoretical and clinical use in contemporary clinical settings are examined throughout. The book consists of three parts. The first part comprises the theoretical investigation of schizophrenia in early 20th century psychiatry and in the theory and teaching of Freud, Lacan, and other influential psychoanalysts. The second part presents the fascinating case of the late 19th century Greek writer Georgios Vizyenos, who invented an extraordinary way to anchor the body before his admission to a psychiatric institution in 1896. The third part discusses the implications of those findings for the contemporary psychoanalytic diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. Assisted by examples from the author's clinical experience and from literature and art, this book sheds invaluable light on probably the most obscure sub-type of psychosis. Review "Yannis Grammatopoulos's book manages to achieve three things, in one expertly executed stroke: to trace the development of the clinical category schizophrenia within psychiatry and psychoanalysis; to introduce to the English reader, as a salient case example, the life and work of the Greek writer Georgio Vizyenos; and, finally, to suggest an approach to the treatment of schizophrenic patients via a thorough reading of Lacan's work. His book will make a valuable contribution to the theoretical understanding and clinical practice of anyone interested in psychoanalytic work with psychosis."-- (05/22/2017) "Yannis Grammatopoulos's rigorous analysis of Georgios Vizyenos's biography and literary work provides us with a new direction and understanding for the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. This book is an important history of schizophrenia from Freud to Lacan that problematises some contemporary psychoanalytic responses to psychosis and helps us differentiate between inventions that emphasise the symbolic and those that emphasise the real. Elaborating with welcome clarity Lacan's theories of knotting, the sinthome and lalangue, Grammatopoulos provides an invaluable account of the clinical relevance of the later Lacan and of the importance of the schizophrenic's own invention in any attempt of recovery."-- (05/22/2017) About the Author Yannis Grammatopoulos