This book bridges psychoanalytic thought and sexual science. It brings sexuality back to the center of psychoanalysis and shows how important it is for students of human sexuality to understand motives that are often irrational and unconscious. The authors present a new perspective about male and female development, emphasizing the ways in which sexual orientation and homophobia appear early in life. The clinical section of the book focuses on the psychodynamics and treatment of homophobia and internalized homophobia.
Drawing on concepts from Freud to Kohut, the authors of this volume remove the pathological stigma of homosexuality per se, a theoretical bias that may have long prevented dynamic therapists from working more effectively with gay clients. The authors manage to weave sophisticated theory with specific, pragmatic advice that is readily applicable in the first session of therapeutic work.
Do the conventional insights of depth psychology have anything to offer the gay patient? Can contemporary psychoanalytic theory be used to make sense of gay identities in ways that are helpful rather than hurtful, respectful rather than retraumatizing? In Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man Jack Drescher addresses these very questions as he outlines a therapeutic approach to issues of sexual identity that is informed by traditional therapeutic goals (such as psychological integration and more authentic living) while still respecting, even honoring, variations in sexual orientation. Drescher's exploration of the subjectivities of gay men in psychoanalytic psychotherapy is more than a long-overdue corrective to the inadequate and often pathologizing tomes of traditional psychoanalytic writers. It is a vitally human testament to the richly varied inner experiences of gay men. Drescher does not assume that sexual orientation is the entire or even major focus of intensive psychotherapy. But he does argue, passionately and convincingly, that issues of sexual identity - which encompass a spectrum of possibilities for any gay man - must be addressed in an atmosphere of honest encounter that allows not only for exploration of conflict and dissociation but also for restitutive confirmation of the patient's right to be himself. Through its abundance of first-person testimony from both clinical and literary sources, Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man provides the reader with an unforgettable grasp of what it is like to discover that one is gay in our society and then to find the courage and humanity to live with that knowledge. Any mental health professional - regardless of his or her sexual orientation - who wishes to deal therapeutically with gay men will find Drescher's work indispensable. But it will also be compelling reading for anyone seeking psychological insight into gay men's lives and concerns.
The psychiatric view of homosexuality has undergone a fascinating evo lution in recent years. This includes not only the change from viewing homosexuality as a diagnosable illness, as opposed to an alternative life style, but also the development of considerable professional concern for providing appropriate mental health services to this previously under served minority community. There has been an increasing recognition of the need for comprehensive services including, but not limited to, counseling, individual psychotherapy, and couples therapy. This book is written for the practicing clinician, and offers a compre hensive survey of the important clinical issues involved in the counsel ing and psychotherapy of gay men and lesbian women. It is an extraor dinarily practical book and its breadth and depth make it appropriate for both the novice and the experienced therapist. SHERWYN M. WOODS Series Editor ix Preface We hear our mentors but do not often heed them. Freud's supportive, nonjudgmental approach to homosexuality provided an ambience with in which discoveries could be made, that is, the discovery that homosex uality was not a disease of mental degeneration and that sexuality, in the sense of a fundamental human propensity to find pleasure in social and physical attachments, was at its root directed to both sexes. The ad herence to a nonjudgmental approach was short-lived, suffered repres sion by homophobic defenses, and scientific zeal was directed toward "cure" rather than comprehension of the homosexual state.
Here is the basic resource for therapists who work with homosexual clients. Written by professionals for professionals, A Guide to Psychotherapy With Gay and Lesbian Clients is an excellent compilation of data and sound suggestions for understanding the unique issues and concerns facing gay men and lesbians.
Here is the basic resource for therapists who work with homosexual clients. Written by professionals for professionals, A Guide to Psychotherapy With Gay and Lesbian Clients is an excellent compilation of data and sound suggestions for understanding the unique issues and concerns facing gay men and lesbians.
Examine gay and lesbian psychoanalysis from a variety of perspectives! Psychotherapy with Gay Men and Lesbians: Contemporary Dynamic Approaches presents case histories of psychotherapy sessions with gay and lesbian patients, focusing on today's psychoanalytical approaches. Dedicated to enhancing the emotional, psychological, and psychiatric treatment of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals, the book features prominent analysts with a wide range of clinical and theoretical approaches. The foremost experts in the therapeutic field address issues affecting gay and lesbian patients from psychoanalytic perspectives that respect the patients' sexual identities. Psychotherapy with Gay Men and Lesbians reflects the significant clinical and theoretical changes therapists face in dealing with issues of gender and sexuality. New ways of thinking coexist with traditional theory as paradigm shifts in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis affect the treatment of gay, lesbian, and bisexual patients. This book provides a forum to address those changes through clinical papers and discussions. Psychotherapy with Gay Men and Lesbians includes discussion of case reports that deal with: gay therapists treating gay patients countertransferential enactments of sex and gender in treatment rethinking the meanings of homosexuality psychotherapeutic treatment of gay male patients with AIDS and much more! Psychotherapy with Gay Men and Lesbians is an essential forum for the exchange of clinical information on gay and lesbian psychotherapy. The book is a valuable resource for psychiatrists, psychologists, social work therapists, psychoanalysts, and anyone interested in today's psychoanalytic approaches to homosexuality.
Sexuality and Gender Now uses a psychoanalytic approach to arrive at a more informed view of the experience and relationships of those whose sexuality and gender may not align with the heterosexual "norm". This book confronts the heteronormative bias dominant in psychoanalysis, using a combination of theoretical and clinical material, offering an important training tool as well as being relevant for practicing clinicians. The contributors address the shift clinicians must make not only to support their patients in a more informed and non-prejudicial way, but also to recognise their own need for support in developing their clinical thinking. They challenge assumptions, deconstruct theoretical ideas, extend psychoanalytic concepts, and, importantly, show how clinicians can attend to their pre-conscious assumptions. They also explore the issue of erotic transference and countertransference, which, if unaddressed, can limit the possibilities for supporting patients more fully to explore their sexuality and gender. Theories of psychosexuality have tended to become split off from the main field of psychoanalytic thought and practice or read from an assumed moral high ground of heteronormativity. The book specifically addresses this bias and introduces new ways of using psychoanalytic ideas. The contributors advocate a wider and more flexible attitude to sexuality in general, which can illuminate an understanding of all sexualities, including heterosexuality. Sexuality and Gender Now will be essential reading for professionals and students of psychoanalysis who want to broaden their understanding of sexuality and gender in their clinical practice beyond heteronormative assumptions.
This book provides a contemporary exploration of psychoanalytic theory and its application to therapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer relationships, challenging heteronormative practice and introducing new perspectives on working with gender and sexual diversity. In this wide-ranging collection, international contributors draw on key aspects of couple psychoanalytic theory and practice, whilst also expanding hetero and mono-normative frames of reference to explore the nature of relating in open, closed and poly relationships. Developments in regard to gender and sexuality within the contexts of family and culture and an examination of same-sex parenting are also included, as are psychosexual considerations and the process of aging. A major focus of the book is the importance of the therapist’s own gender and sexuality in the clinical encounter and how to manage adjustments in approach to counter the dominance of heteronormative thinking in practice. The first book of its kind to incorporate an in-depth examination of same sex, queer, bi-sex, trans and queer relationships in regard to psychoanalytic thinking and practice, Same-Sex Couples and Other Identities is a vital resource for psychoanalytically informed psychotherapists, counsellors and practitioners working with a diverse range of clients.
