THE LANGUAGE OF DISTRESS: UNDERSTANDING A CHILD’S BEHAVIOUR

Book ID/图书代码： 07468316B91392

English Summary/英文概要： The book describes a series of cases where the child’s presenting complaint is seen to be the expression of an underlying emotional conflict that the child expects the parents to understand and help him or her overcome. The parents’ interpretation of the child’s symptoms cannot but be influenced by their own previous life experiences and if their eventual response does not meet the child’s anxiety, the child feels misunderstood and the physical complaint remains unchanged. It can also happen that the parents’ interpretation of the symptoms reinforces the child’s belief of carrying a serious physical problem.

Seeing both the child and parents, an attempt is made to discover the unconscious fantasy that leads to the presenting physical complaint, and also investigate the parents’ experiences that led them to approach their child in the particular manner that, in practice, perpetuated the symptom. The proposal is put forward that the symptom can be seen as a language, a manner of expressing an underlying emotional anxiety – and once this message is formulated by the therapist, in words that can be understood not only by the child but also by the parents, it becomes possible that the parents can approach the child in a more effective manner.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 本书描述了一系列儿童表达其抱怨的案例，这些案例被看作是儿童潜在矛盾情绪的表达，他们期待父母能够理解并帮助她/他去克服困难。而父母理解儿童情绪症状的方式必然是会受到其本身早年经历所影响的，倘若他们一直给与的回应并无法满足孩子们焦急的需求状态，孩子们就会感到被误解，而他们生理上表现出来的抱怨状态也将持续不变。也有一种可能，父母对于儿童症状的解读使得儿童自身更加坚定地相信自己有着非常严重的生理问题。通过从父母和儿童两种角度进行解读，本书将尝试去发现究竟是我们潜意识中的什么奇思妙想导致了通过生理方式进行抱怨，本书还将深入调查父母自身的经历是如何影响他们去处理儿童以种种特殊形式表达出来的身体症状，尤其是在实际过程中产生的永久性的症状。本书首先提出假设，认为症状可以被看做是一种语言，一种表达潜在焦虑感情绪的形式---一旦治疗师们将信息以语言和词汇的形式组织起来，那么不论是儿童还是父母都将能够理解，如此一来父母们以一种更加有效的方式去接近自己的孩子也将不再困难。（DC）

Awards/获奖情况：Dr A. H. Brafman occupies a unique place in the field of child and family mental health. For more than half a century he has worked indefatigably, with unique compassion and clinical intelligence, to demonstrate the many ways in which young people and their parents can be understood, helped, and, in more severe cases, healed. I recommend all of Dr Brafman’s books, but his newest title should become required reading for every health care professional and every parent. --Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and author of Tea with Winnicott

Through the case vignettes in this book, Dr Brafman vividly demonstrates the way children may communicate their distress in the language of their bodies when their feelings are not understood. He convincingly shows that in a consultation, if the professional meets the child’s wish to be understood then the emotional meaning of their physical symptoms can be illuminated and thus may abate. In the present culture of pharmacological and behavioural intervention, it is a pleasure to read these accounts of effectively simple understanding of children’s distress. This book is a timely contribution and will be of interest to all who seek to work with children and their families. --Angela Joyce, child and adult psychoanalyst, training and supervising analyst at the British Psychoanalytical Society

About the Author/作者介绍： A•H•布拉夫曼是一名受训承认及儿童心理分析师。其在英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）就职时，曾担任儿童及青少年心理咨询顾问，并多年来一直管理着一个家长与5岁下儿童的小组。他在心理分析机构中教授婴儿观察课程和进行有关于英国心理分析学会儿童、青少年和成人的心理动力工作研讨会，此外他还在一些其他训练机构中就职。布拉夫曼还是大学附属医院医学院里的荣誉讲师，教授学生并进行心理治疗培训。他出版有大量书籍作品，其中包括：Untying the Knot, Fostering Independence: Helping and Caring in Psychodynamic Therapies, 以及The Language of Drawings: A New Finding in Psychodynamic Work等。

A. H. Brafman trained as a psychoanalyst of adults and children. In his NHS career he worked as a Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and for many years ran a group for parents and under-fives. He ran Infant Observation courses at the Institute of Psychoanalysis and also seminars on psychodynamic work with children, adolescents and adults for the British Society of Psychoanalysis and several other training organizations. He was also Honorary Lecturer at University Hospital Medical School, where he taught students and psychotherapy trainees. He has published a number of books, including Untying the Knot, Fostering Independence: Helping and Caring in Psychodynamic Therapies, and The Language of Drawings: A New Finding in Psychodynamic Work.

Format:插图

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：

原文第一章内容：暂无

手稿：暂无

大纲：暂无