Peter Fonagy, Anna Freud Centre Chief Executive: What is Mentalization? interview

Mentalizing refers to our ability to attend to mental states in ourselves and in others as we attempt to understand our own actions and those of others on the basis of intentional mental states. A focus on this very human activity as a therapeutic intervention forms the core of mentalization based treatment (MBT). MBT was initially developed for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) although it is now being used on a wide range of disorders.
Our Chief Executive Peter Fonagy talks more about Mentalization in the interview.
For more information on MBT trainings, please visit: www.annafreud.org/courses.php

[@susanjones9481]

what an amazing tool thank you very much, so simple in a way but so deep and life changing for the child and the family unit

[@Istrice963]

The way Mr Fonaggy speaks and explains is so inspiring.

[@andrewbarley6930]

He has a gift, like Irvin Yalom I think, of communicating complex ideas in a simple understandable way.

[@dolarich]

What a fantastic conceptual development. Thank you

[@hope56]

So cogent and accessible. Thanks for sharing.

[@baphomet7355]

I think Fonagy is a genious, he really caught a pivotal issue.

[@erich1394]

I was quite satisfied that you took a moment to recognize that we are the only primates who wear shoes. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, lol... Edit: I love what you have to say about constitutional arousal, mentalization, and compounding feedback effects within a family structure or relationship. It's somewhat disheartening that intense attachment can cause a breakdown of mentalization. I want to deny it, but my life experience supports this assertion. How can we make space for emotional intimacy when the resulting attachment can sabotage the safe space required for that intimacy? Do healthier people have the ability to modulate attachment and vulnerability? How does this work?

[@Istrice963]

It is know that antisocial personalities are very much capable of understanding the others and acting upon it. The how do you evaluate this in terms of mirroring of parents ?

[@SimpleCrazyBOCs]

great video

[@d7k7m7]

Anyone know of how an MFT Intern near Los Angeles and Santa Barbara California in the US can get MBT training? I know Anna Freud center does trainings at UCLA, but they are really expensive.

[@honeybunny5325]

Thank you got me into deep thoughts and understand why i have bdp.

[@mattstorie5358]

Top author 😄

[@begily]

After 25 it just goes downhill??? In what respect? I am 31 now, and I have also been working within an MBT team, and I genuinely feel that my mentalizing has definitely improved over the last year or so. Not massively of course, but I feel a couple degrees more of a mentalizer than I used to be. If that were true then therapy would be useless no???

[@zoec4972]

'mirroring' isn't that straight outta hegel's 'lord and bondsman' dialectic?

[@ruthkassler5784]

interesting - a new term but seems as old as any ancient insight and wisdom

[@Sepantamino]

if love through arousal have negative effect on mentalizing then when the arousal is limited then the empathy should boost it instead. What about compassion?

[@kaleb7299]

From about three months on, and this is a subjective interpretation one would assume? If one profits from an interest, does it make it propaganda/marketing to promote those interests without having first evidenced the opinions one basis one's conjecture upon. Listen to me, I'm right, how are you right, oh because I say I'm right! Proof of claim helps in the modern world?

[@phamth]

SOWK 644

[@carlalee5475]

Rip Marilyn Monroe

[@zoec4972]

on international womans day we should remember all the women, 'hysterics' and the hollywood stars, marilyn, judy and francis farmer who have been brought down by research based 'science '/neo- eugenic doctoring.

[@Grassisgreenism]

I find it quite disturbing how he states his theories as fact. Of course there is a long tradition within psychoanalysis of treating hypothesis, conjecture, and "just so stories" as irrevocable truths.