Editorial

We are delighted to welcome readers to this, the second part of the silver anniversary edition of Existential Analysis which commences with no fewer than six papers based on presentations given at the 13th Annual Conference of the Society for Existential Analysis last November.

The publicity material at the time stated the conference theme would be Love and Hate: 'passions which shape our lives and practice…the conference will explore these emotions and the tension between them: their creative and destructive aspects, the consequences of favouring one over the other, the truths and lies that they engender – and more.'

For those who participated in this important event in the world of existential analysis, we hope that the papers included here will provide an inspiring reminder of the standard of scholarly debate; for those who were not present we are sure that this collection will provide a valuable resource. Our first paper, by Manu Bazzano, explores Love and Hate as 'magnificent monsters' in the contemporary cultural landscape. Trevor Butt develops an argument for hatred as a choice, rather than as foundational within a Cartesian self, while John Heaton explores love and hate as a duality springing from common ground. Eugenia Lapteva draws on philosophy and psychoanalysis to explore the essential nature of love; Michael Montgomery, inspired by Ernesto Spinelli's keynote paper at the 2012 Conference, writes about dualism, drawing on personal experience and practice. Our sixth conference paper, by Ryan Kemp and Alan Butler, discusses love and hate in relation to addiction.

Alongside these fascinating papers we also feature seven submissions by authors, many of whom will be familiar to existential practitioners, addressing a wide range of subjects, including a fascinating exploration of Tourette's Syndrome, questions of conscience and guilt in therapy, how to measure change 'existentially' and the possible benefits of developing a theistic form of existential therapy.

Given ongoing debate about the prevalence of existential therapy, the paper by Edgar Correia, Mick Cooper, and Lucia Berdonini is likely to finally provide a basis for claims regarding the present state of our orientation worldwide.

We are pleased to be able to feature an in-depth scholarly debate between Anthony Stadlen and Christina Richards, originating with Richards' paper in the previous journal centred on the work of Thomas Szasz.

As usual we include a number of informative and enticing book reviews; our thanks to Martin Adams who can be contacted if you are interested in reviewing any titles on the current book list.

Finally, it is with regret that we say goodbye to Helen Acton, our Reader Panel Coordinator. Helen has been an admirable addition to our small journal team and we have enjoyed her humour and patience in the midst of a job that requires considerable organisation and diplomacy. The Editors are welcoming indications of interest, so if you feel that you (or you and a colleague) might be interested in joining us and taking on the Coordinator role, please email us at journal@existentialanalysis.org.uk.

Simon du Plock
Greg Madison