Therapeutic Love and Heartfullness: Meanderings Through Group Analysis, Group Analytic Art Therapy and Individual Therapy

This book introduces the concepts of ’therapeutic love’ and ’heartfullness, ’ combining models of group analysis, art therapy and individual psychotherapy to present a new psychotherapeutic framework where non-erotic love is engendered and evoked within therapeutic encounters.

The heart has often been conceptualised as symbolic of sexuality and eroticism, with little meaning beyond the romantic, and therefore often removed from psychotherapeutic perspectives. Responding to this, the author calls for placing the heart as the central point of reference in therapeutic work, emphasising how it is touched during a therapeutic session. This, in turn, gives way for the therapist’s own emotions and thoughts, such as empathy, identification, concern, protectiveness and laughter, to be released.

Building upon the author’s 40 years of experience in practice and new developments in these models, this book ’meanders’ through evolving theories and integrates them for both patients and trainees across backgrounds and cultures. Enriched with the author’s personal clinical vignettes and unique influences of music, art, golf and even Ireland, this book aims to give a greater voice to the patient - and their heart - within the therapeutic space.

This book is essential reading for any counsellor, therapist or analyst and offers a new way of looking at therapeutic endeavours across methodologies in all their simplicities and complexities.

Gerry McNeilly is a trained specialist in art therapy, psychotherapy, and group analysis. Following art therapy training in 1976, he was the principal art therapist at the Ingrebourne Centre and ’Full Member’ of the Institute of Group Analysis from 1987. He established and directed a psychotherapy and counselling service in Bromsgrove, England and was the principal adult psychotherapist in Warwickshire from 1995 to 2011. He is an active member of the teaching body of the Portuguese Society of Art Therapy and is also the originator of Group Analytic Art Therapy. Although now retired, he still undertakes some lecturing and academic involvement.