The Impossibility of Sex: Stories of the Intimate Relationship between Therapist and Patient
Those who have ever surrendered themselves on an analyst's couch, or considered doing so, will want to read this vibrant book about therapy from the therapist's perspective. A seasoned analyst who was recently revealed to have counseled the late Princess Diana, Orbach (author of the '70s classic Fat Is a Feminist Issue) reveals what happens during therapy from the therapist's point of view with honesty, dashes of wit and a refreshing lack of sensationalism. Those who suspect that therapists sleep through their sessions will be gratified to find out how involving some find their patients. Orbach's examples (based on composites of patients she's seen over the years) fascinate but never read like case studies: Belle is a compulsive liar who moves from crisis to crisis; Joanna's distress threatens Orbach's sense of self by touching her deepest emotions; Carol and Maria are an interracial lesbian couple whose marriage counseling provokes Orbach to consider the role of trust and sex in relationships; Adam, an erstwhile Lothario, almost lures Orbach into his sexual web before she is able to help him relinquish his own libidinousness in favor of deep passion. Orbach elucidates the analytic process with verve, grace and erudition, invoking Freud and a host of other psychoanalysts while unveiling her own feelings about life, love, sex, passion and, of course, the therapeutic process. (Mar.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.