* How is it that someone who has a problem is able to resolve it through conversation with another?* By the author of several classics in psychoanalysis* Written for patients and analysts alike In this essential new volume, Neville Symington, a highly respected psychoanalyst and author, considers why someone who has a problem is able to resolve it through conversation. The disciplines of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy are based upon the assumption that it is possible to resolve one's troubles in this manner. Combining his own substantial experience in psychoanalysis with rigorous academic research, Symington reminds us that psychoanalysis constitutes "not just an intellectual effort but an emotional transformation" facilitated through healing conversation. As a psychoanalyst, he seeks to illuminate the complexity and the sometimes painful ambiguity of human experience. He aims to avoid oversimplification, quick judgment, or reliance on established meta-narratives. The book therefore maintains a dialectical approach to its subject, continuing to raise questions and motivate further investigation. Written in an engaging style drawing on cultural, literary, and clinical sources, Symington moves from the broad themes of emotion, communication, and representation to the depth of clinical case studies. Though written specifically with psychoanalysts in mind, A Healing Conversation is a work that will appeal to many, not only those with an interest in this field.