Table Of Content“Dr. Alice Bar Nes’ book, Psychoanalysis, Mysticism and the Problem of Epistemology:
Defining the Indefinable, is an impressive work that brings the reader into an area of
psychoanalytic thinking that has been much-maligned over the years - the question of
mysticism. The author offers an integrative perspective that recognizes ‘the mystical at the
heart of the analytic project.’ Dr. Bar Nes’ book is a tour de force that reveals an underlying
mystical element in psychoanalysis that is implicit in Freud’s early thinking, Ferenczi’s
thoughts about mysticism, Winnicott’s transitional space, Bion’s notion of a ‘messianic idea,’
and the work of other well-known analysts. These concepts are impressively woven together
and subsequently integrated with the work of philosophers, especially the contributions of
William James and Martin Buber. This book is recommended for students and practitioners
of psychoanalysis interested in the broader scope of psychoanalytic thinking.”
Lawrence J Brown, PhD, is the author of Intersubjective Processes and the Unconscious:
Freudian, Kleinian and Bionian Perspectives and Transformational Processes in Clinical
Psychoanalysis: Dreaming, Emotions and the Present Moment
“O, what a powerful book! Alice Bar Nes takes the reader on a journey to the unexplainable
domains of patient-therapis tinteractions. Her book sheds new light on the mystical ingredients
of psychoanalysis, the possibilities of which clinicians are only just beginning to appreciate.
William James, Wilfred Bion, Donald Winnicott, Christopher Bollas, and Michael Eigen,
together with thinkers such as Saint-Exupery and Martin Buber, serve as Bar Nes’ fellow
guides along the magical, and, at times, sacred path of the psychoanalytic therapeutic
relationship. Masterfully combining the inexpressible with the practical, the enigmatic with the
down-to-earth, Bar Nes invites us to explore new intrapsychic and intersubjective territories; to
explore her own faith journey; and to re-discover the area of faith in ourselves.”
Amit Fachler, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and author of Too Much in the Son:
Fatherless Fathers’ Accounts of Love, Guilt, and Reparation (Hebrew)
“This book is a work of a true lover of psychoanalytic theories, with exquisite knowledge,
depth and wisdom – on faith in the power of the human contact to act as the clinical core.
The meeting of psychoanalysis and mysticism, through the vibrating presence of Alice
Bar-Nes, is structured as ‘the meaning of being human’, as she puts it; in her person and
writing, psychoanalytic foci that touch upon the mystical - transform into emotionally-felt
and communicated experiences.
The book is a serious contribution and guide for those engaged in psychoanalytic
treatment on how to navigate in the realm of the spiritual and theoretical via the subjective,
the intersubjective and the practical, and enlightenment for those interested in mysticism.”
Nitza Yarom, PhD, Clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst; the author of
Psychic Threats and Somatic Shelters and Matrix of Hysteria
“Alice Bar Nes’ book is a welcome contribution to understanding and broadening the
deep connection between mysticism and psychoanalysis. She penetrates, analyzes and
connects philosophical thinking and clinical understanding in a highly original way.
I was especially impressed by her extraordinary ability to present indefinable concepts in a
crystal clear way and to engage the reader in the flow of her text. Her proposed definition of
mysticism is elegant, clear and succeeds in shedding new light on the contribution of influential
writers in the psychoanalytic field, through that unique prism. Most significantly, she succeeds
in making the mystical a concept that resonates with the experiences of every human being.”
Ilana Laor, PhD, Clinical psychologist and group analyst;
head of the Israeli chapter of the IARPP
Psychoanalysis, Mysticism and the
Problem of Epistemology
This book presents key psychoanalytic theories from a fresh perspective:
that of the mystical element.
The author explores the depth-structure of central assumptions in psycho-
analytic theory to uncover the mystical core of conventional analytic thinking.
Exploring authors from Freud and Ferenczi, through Bion and Winnicott, to
contemporary voices such as Ogden, Bollas and Eigen, the book shows that
psychoanalysis has always operated on the assumption of psychic overlap, a
“soul-to-soul” contact, between patient and analyst. Surprisingly, the book
shows how this “magical” facet goes hand in hand with a pragmatic worldview
that explores the epistemological complexities of psychoanalysis in search of a
way to join the subjective, even the mystical, with the practical aim of serving as
a validated mental health discipline. This is accomplished through an
interdisciplinary and intertextual encounter between psychoanalysis and the
innovative pairing of William James’ pragmatic philosophy and Martin Buber’s
dialogic thought. The author’s paradoxical stance surrounding the nature and
role of psychoanalysis and its mystical facet resonate the great challenge
embedded in Winnicott’s insistence on tolerating paradox and Bion’s demand
to respect all parts of the (psychoanalytic) truth, in this case, the practical and
mundane alongside the mystical and magical.
The book’s broad, interdisciplinary outlook will captivate both psycho-
analysts and psychoanalytic therapists as well as scholars of philosophy.
Alice Bar Nes, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with a private practice; fa-
culty member and a supervisor at the Temurot school of psychotherapy and
group supervisor at the continuing medical education psychiatry program at
Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine.
Psyche and Soul: Psychoanalysis, Spirituality and
Religion In Dialogue Book Series
Jill Salberg & Melanie Suchet
Series Editors
The Psyche and Soul: Psychoanalysis, Spirituality and Religion in Dialogue series
explores the intersection of psychoanalysis, spirituality and religion. By promoting
dialogue, this series provides a platform for the vast and expanding interconnec-
tions, mutual influences and points of divergence amongst these disciplines.
Extending beyond western religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the series
includes Eastern religions, contemplative studies, mysticism and philosophy. By
bridging gaps, opening the vistas and responding to increasing societal yearnings
for more spirituality in psychoanalysis, Psyche and Soul aims to cross these dis-
ciplines, fostering a more fluid interpenetration of ideas.
For a full list of titles in this series, please visit the Routledge website: https://
www.routledge.com/Psyche-and-Soul/book-series/PSYSOUL
Psychoanalysis, Mysticism and
the Problem of Epistemology
Defining the Indefinable
Alice Bar Nes
First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Alice Bar Nes
The right of Alice Bar Nes to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification
and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bar Nes, Alice, 1978- author.
Title: Psychoanalysis, mysticism and the problem of epistemology : defining
the indefinable / Alice Bar Nes.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021011969 (print) | LCCN 2021011970 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032061184 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032056852 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003200796 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Psychoanalysis and religion. | Mysticism‐‐Psychology.
Classification: LCC BF175.4.R44 B355 2022 (print) | LCC BF175.4.R44
(ebook) | DDC 150.19/5‐‐dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021011969
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021011970
ISBN: 978-1-032-06118-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05685-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-20079-6 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003200796
Typeset in Times New Roman
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
To my grandmother, Risa Resnick.
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 Defining the ineffable: What is the mystical? 8
2 A brief history of the mystical in psychoanalysis 33
3 Psychoanalysis, pragmatism, and the epistemology of
faith 69
4 Freud and Ferenczi – In the beginning there was a split 102
5 Bion: Doubt and faith – Dreaming the ineffable truth 144
6 Playing and unity: The Winnicottian revolution 176
7 Ogden: Stepping out of the shadow – The shared
psychoanalytic psyche speaks 207
8 Bollas: The shadow of the divine unconscious 239
9 Eigen: Faith and turbulence – The psychoanalytic
mystic 283
Conclusion 329
Index 333
