A Dog in the Room: Interspecies Intersubjectivity in Relational Psychotherapy
Chapter Announcement by Sean Meggeson (Canada)
(2021). Animals as the Third in Relational Psychotherapy, Jo Silbert and Jo Frasca (Eds.). New York: Routledge.
Meggeson argues that a dog in the consulting room offers the relational therapist the opportunity to think more deeply about the nature of intersubjectivity, specifically within the non-verbal realm. The author takes the radical stance that his canine co-therapist has her own relational existence as an agent capable of human-animal intersubjectivity. The chapter discusses how denying this stance negatively affects psychotherapeutic action and explores the global ecological consequences of humans having denied human-animal intersubjectivity. Meggeson discusses non-verbal intersubjectivity by using contemporary psychoanalytic theory, sociological studies and various clinical examples from his private practice.
Sean Meggeson, M.A., R.P.
1407 Yonge St., Suite 204
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Email Sean Meggeson
www.seanmeggeson.com