Michael (Mike) Eigen (born January 11, 1936) is an American psychologist and psychoanalyst. He is the author of 27 books and numerous papers. He has given a private seminar on

Donald Winnicott Donald Woods Winnicott (7 April 1896 – 25 January 1971) was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory and developmental psychology. He was a leading member of the Brit ...

Wilfred Bion Wilfred Ruprecht Bion (; 8 September 1897 – 8 November 1979) was an influential English psychoanalyst, who became president of the British Psychoanalytical Society from 1962 to 1965. Early life and military service Bion was born in Mathu ...

Jacques Lacan Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, ; ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Sigmund Freud, Freud", Lacan gave The Seminars of Jacques Lacan, year ...

and his own work since the 1970s. Eigen is known for his work with patients "who had been given up on by others",Eigen, Michael (1998). Shivers. In J. Reppen (Ed.) Why I Became a Psychotherapist. Aronson, 1998, pp. 81-85. including people who experience psychosis.

Biography

Eigen was born in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

, to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, the son of Jeanette (née Brody), a teacher, and Sol, a lawyer.''Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television'', 1985, p. 145. Eigen received his B.A. (with honors) in 1957 from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and his PhD in 1974 from

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

. He married Betty Gitelman on December 27, 1980. Betty is also a therapist. Eigen stated that he admires her and says that she “can help and treat people no one else can help.” They have two sons, David and Jacob.

Therapeutic approach

Eigen relates to his patients with humility and curiosity. He learns from his patients. In talking about his approach to therapy, he stated that "I am hoping, praying that something real, useful, something that touches another soul happens, something that helps others feel how much there is to feel, how precious psychic reality is, how precious and complex and amazing we are."

Mysticism

Eigen integrates mysticism and spirituality into his work with psychoanalysis. He draws on the work of a number of analysts and spiritual traditions in this work. He explained that he is "not a scholar, systematic reader, or follower of any school." Eigen is particularly engaged with the work of

. Eigen described how "Bion uses many images and expressions from religious and mystical life to portray psychoanalytic processes."Michael Eigen, The Psychoanalytic Mystic, 1998

Writings

Selected articles

* "On Breathing and Identity". ''Journal of Humanistic Psychology,'' (1977) 17(3), 35–39. 10.1177/002216787701700304 * "The Area of Faith in Winnicott, Lacan, and Bion". ''International Journal of the Psychoanalytic Association,'' (1981) 64: 413-33 * "Dream Images". ''Journal of Religion and Health,'' (2004) 43(2), 115–122. * "Beginnings and Endings in Therapy". ''ISPS-US Newsletter,'' (2007) 8(2): 8. * "Incommunicado core and boundless supporting unknown". ''European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling,'' (2007) 9: 415-22 * "Life kills, aliveness kills". ''New Therapist,'' (2012) 76 The Bad Edition. * "O, Orgasm and Beyond". ''Psychoanalytic Dialogues,'' (2015) 25(5), 646–654. * "Affect Images and States". ''The Journal of Humanistic Psychology,'' (2019) 59(5), 714–719.

Books

* ''The Psychotic Core'' (1986) * ''Psychic Deadness'' (1996) * ''The Psychoanalytic Mystic'' (1998) * ''Toxic Nourishment'' (1999) * ''Ecstasy'' (2001) * ''Damaged Bonds'' (2001) * ''Rage'' (2002) * ''The Sensitive Self'' (2004) * ''The Electrified Tightrope'' (2004) * ''Emotional Storm'' (2005) * ''Feeling Matters'' (2006) * ''Age of Psychopathy'' (2006) * ''Conversations with Michael Eigen'' (with Aner Grovin) (2007) * ''Flames from the Unconscious'' (2009) * ''Eigen in Seoul: Volume 1: Madness and Murder'' (2010) * ''Eigen in Seoul: Volume 2: Faith and Transformation'' (2011) * ''Contact with the Depths'' (2011) * ''Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis'' (2012) * ''Reshaping the Self: Reflections on Renewal Through Therapy'' (2013) * ''A Felt Sense: More Explorations of Psychoanalysis and Kabbalah'' (2014) * ''The Birth of Experience'' (2014) * ''Faith'' (2014) * ''Image, Sense, Infinities, and Everyday Life'' (2015) * ''Under the Totem: In Search of a Path'' (2016) * ''The Challenge of Being Human'' (2018) * ''Dialogues with Michael Eigen: Psyche Singing, ed.: Loray Daws'' (2019) * ''Eigen in Seoul Volume Three: Pain and Beauty, Terror and Wonder'' (2021)

References

External links

Therapist from the Depths
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eigen, Michael American male non-fiction writers American psychoanalysts Jewish psychoanalysts Jewish American non-fiction writers Mystics 1936 births Living people 21st-century American Jews