Knowing and Being: Self-awareness in Psychoanalysis and Fine-tuning Listening with Dhwani Shah

Academia is a critical part of any scientific or medical practice. It provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and research findings that form the foundation of these fields. But in a field like talk therapy, which relies on nuance and circumstance, academia also has its limitations. 

On the other hand, taking an approach to the practice which blends personal feelings, experiences, and biases alone can be equally as dangerous to patients and their providers. 

The challenge of striking this balance is something that Dhwani Shah has embraced with unwavering determination throughout his journey in the field. 

Dhwani is the author of ‘The Analyst’s Torment: Unbearable Mental States in Countertransference’, a book which tackles and demystifies this complex dynamic of ‘self’ within the patient-therapist relationship. From his life experience to his studies and private practice, Dhwani’s story epitomizes this delicate balance between knowledge and authenticity, –between simply knowing and truly being.

In this episode of the Art of Listening, Dhwani will share with us his journey in the art of listening. We will learn how he navigated the challenges of integrating personal experiences and biases while maintaining professional boundaries, and tell us how these situations have helped him improve as a listener. 

Chapters

1 - Dhwani's life at home, and experience as an Immigrant in the US (3:13)

2 - How Dhwani’s perspective of the field changed over time (7:56)
3 - Overcoming human barriers (11:30)
4 - How to show true, authentic empathy (20:30)
5 - Authentic and inauthentic listening practices (26:42)
6 - Dhwani's current studies (29:14)

Links

• Dhwani Shah
• Dhwani’s book ‘The Analyst’s Torment: Unbearable Mental States in Countertransference
• Eileen Dunn’s Website