Henry Markman, M.D.

I am a psychoanalyst in private practice in Berkeley, CA, and a Training and Consulting Analyst at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, where I teach and supervise therapists and analytic candidates. In my private practice, I see adults and adolescents in psychoanalytic therapy and psychoanalysis analysis. I also consult and run several private study groups. I have presented my work and discussed the work of colleagues at international and American conferences.  

I have authored several papers on psychoanalytic process, fundamental aspects of therapeutic action, embodied attunement and accompaniment, aesthetic experience in therapy, play, and the fundamental ethics of my work. I recently published Creative Engagement in Psychoanalytic Practice-- a personal account of my development as an analyst over thirty years and the fundamental principles of practice I have discovered along the way.

CLINICAL APPROACH

In my book Creative Engagement in Psychoanalytic Practice, I present my clinical approach. There, I describe how the clinician works in a creative and improvisational way to meet the needs of someone in his or her care—highlighting the importance of the analyst’s unique voice, creativity, and embodied awareness in authentically being with and relating to patients. I emphasize the therapeutic importance of the analyst’s embodied presence and openness, improvisational accompaniment, and love within the analytic framework. Because each patient-therapist match is unique, no single method can be prescribed. Rather, a space is created in the emotional experience for the person to develop and grow. Henry Markman focuses on the engaged, embodied dialogue between therapist and patient, where emotional states are shared as the route to self-discovery and growth. The involvement of the therapist’s singular and spontaneous self is crucial.