Exploring the Emotional Life of the Mind

This highly innovative new book reconsiders the structure of basic emotions, self and mind. It clinically covers mental disorders, therapeutic interventions, defense mechanisms, consciousness and personality, and results in a comprehensive discussion of human responses to the environmental crisis.

Daniël Helderman has a background in therapeutic work as a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. He teaches psychoanalytic theory at RINO Utrecht and RINO Amsterdam as well as supervising healthcare psychologists in the Royal Netherlands Army and speaking professionally on emotion-related issues. His ambition is to use psychodynamic insight to amplify environmental awareness and (inter)action.

Inflow; Part I: What to think of something that is subjective, multifaceted and fluid; 1. Recurring themes in rivalling theories of emotion; 2. Constructing the Maelstrom model and enjoying the view; 3. Cartography for psychotherapy; 4. To turn a blind eye; Part II: Emotional turbulence; 5. The interpretation of repetitive nightmares; 6. On obsessive compulsive behaviour: losing control of the need to feel in control; 7. On depression: when the emotional Maelstrom grinds to a halt; Part III: No emotion, no sense; 8. On emotions, the self and the mind: how personality is organised by integrating emotions; 9. Why it is so hard to talk about what matters most; Outflow