Holding the Dialectic Tension Loosely: A Response to Marie and Lowell Hoffman’s Transcendence and Immanence in Contemporary Psychotherapies—Tensions, Trends, and Treatment

Abstract

This article is a response to the Hoffmans’ article, “Transcendence and Immanence in Contemporary Psychotherapies: Trends, Tensions, and Treatment,” in the present volume. The author highlights the important contribution of the Hoffmans as they urge readers to hold the dialectic tension between transcendence and immanence, modern and postmodern, clinical and sociopolitical. While the Hoffmans call for holding the tension, this response suggests holding it loosely. Behind the Hoffmans’ critique are unacknowledged traditions that emerge from particular social locations. While this is always true, it is important to understand these traditions as integrators from other traditions will understand these tensions differently.