Dancing with the Unconscious by the versatile and erudite psychoanalyst-writer Danielle Knafo is an impressively researched study of the similarities between the process of psychoanalysis and the creation of art. As Knafo asserts with compelling theory and vivid clinical illustrations, both are endeavors that involve seeking meaning and a coherent sense of self in an effort to transform and heal. In psychoanalysis, the subtle "dance" between analyst and patient finds its movement within the transference as the conscious and the unconscious engage throughout the process. The artist similarly engages with unconscious mental representations of the self and others once a creative state of solitude is achieved. In fact, Knafo's chapter on solitude, "Alone Together," is so densely packed with original and imaginative insights that not only could it become the basis for its own book, but it also seems to exemplify the very process of productive creation Knafo describes. In the book's second half, Knafo applies psychoanalytic theory to several artists. Highly recommended for any psychotherapist even remotely interested in psychoanalytic theory, as well as for the artist and creative type who might wish to understand more about her or his process.
