R. D. Laing in the Twenty-First Century

In this remarkable review of the seminal contribution of the Scottish psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, R. D. Laing, the three authors, each intimately acquainted with the subject matter, explore Laing's intellectual and clinical legacy. Written from the perspective of a psychoanalyst, a scientist, and a philosopher, this unique book thoroughly addresses the three principal themes that defined Laing's work: his views about sanity and madness, the use of therapy with those suffering from psychotic disturbance, and the vicissitudes of love relationships. They also explore authenticity, altered states, and healing. The authors bring a broad range of viewpoints in assessing Laing's seminal contribution to contemporary thought, from both a scholarly and personal assessment rooted in each of their diverse relationships with him, both professional and personal. This volume will be of interest to those in the worlds of psychoanalysis, philosophy, science, and anyone with an interest in the work of R. D. Laing.

M. Guy Thompson, PhD, received his psychoanalytic training from R. D. Laing in London, and is founder of the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis, a virtual training program based in San Francisco. He is the author of The Legacy of R. D. Laing [Ed.] (2015); The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness (2017; 2nd edition); and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis (2024). Fritjof Capra, PhD, physicist and systems theorist, is the author of several international bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics and The Web of Life. He is coauthor, with Pier Luigi Luisi, of the multidisciplinary textbook, The Systems View of Life. Capra's online course (www.capracourse.net) is based on his textbook. Douglas Kirsner, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Psychoanalytic Studies at Deakin University, Melbourne. He is the author of The Schizoid World of Jean-Paul Sartre and R. D. Laing and Unfree Associations: Inside Psychoanalytic Institutes. His interest in Laing includes living in a Philadelphia Association household during the 1970s.

PREFACE. Themes From The Esalen Lectures Part I. What Is Sanity? What Is Madness? 1. Sanity and Friendship: The Therapeutic Feature of Communal Living 2. Laing on Sanity, Liberty, Freedom 3. Sanity and the State of the World Part II. What Is Therapeutic? 4. On Sympathy: The Role of Love in the Therapeutic Encounter 5. Laing's Conception of Therapy 6. Science and Spirituality Part III. What Are Altered States? 7. The Nature of Reality 8. Falling in Love as an Altered State. 9. Laing on Altered States. Part IV. What Is Love? 10. Eros and Agape 11. The Biology of Love. 12. Laing on Love. Part V. What Is Authenticity? 13. Laing on Authenticity 14. The Dark Side of Authenticity: Laing as Provocateur 15. Authentic Community Part VI. What Is Healing? 16. What is Called Healing? 17. Healing and the Regeneration of Life 18. Laing on the Human Condition