A Psychotherapist Paints

A Psychotherapist Paints is a unique account of an internationally known psychotherapist and group analyst's struggle to bring together his psychological experience and his interests and talent as an artist. This book describes a body of painting that was responsive to a major existential challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic, but which also comes from deeply personal experience; the paintings are a mirror of life through the decades. These paintings, fifty of which are included here in full colour, were mainly presented online to groups both small and large, who were invited to participate in a dialogue that became a vital part of the developing project. The value of this dialogue is reflected in the author's concept of the "artist's matrix", describing the social context in which an artist produces and presents their work. The paintings, together with the autobiographical narrative and the groups' generativity, combine to produce a moving testament to our times. Intrinsic to A Psychotherapist Paints is a question about what makes us creative and how creativity transforms our lives. The result is a work of both artistic and psychological power that will inspire psychotherapists, art psychotherapists and artists themselves, and will point to exciting new possibilities in all these fields.

Morris Nitsun is a consultant psychologist, psychotherapist and group analyst. He is the author of the books The Anti-Group (Routledge, 2014) and The Group as an Object of Desire (Routledge, 2006), which have been described as classics in the field. In 2015, he was awarded the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists medal for services to mental health. He is a practising artist who has regularly exhibited in London, and his paintings are in collections across the world.

Introduction Part 1: Background 1. "Can I be both?" 2. Early stages 3. The artist's matrix Part 2: The paintings 4. Dolls and demons 5. The deserted city 6. Fragile nature 7. Dancers 8. Four women Part 3: Reflections and review 9. A deeper view 10. Concluding thoughts