Taboo or Not Taboo? : Forbidden Thoughts, Forbidden Acts in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Psychoanalysis has, from its inception, been a discipline concerned with overcoming the ill effects of certain social taboos. Patients in psychoanalysis are encouraged to speak about 'whatever comes to mind', without editing, even if they believe their thoughts and feelings to be unacceptable, heinous or scandalous. This book challenges this idea.

Psychoanalysis has, from its inception, been a discipline concerned with overcoming the ill effects of certain social taboos. Given this focus, it might be assumed that psychoanalysis and its practitioners are free of the constraints imposed by restrictive taboos. This book challenges this idea by examining a sampling of the taboos that are rife in the field. It is not intended to offer a complete summary of all of the forbidden ideas, clinical procedures, behaviors and institutional practices in psychoanalysis, but rather to raise consciousness about the fact that even within a field which encourages freedom of expression, many issues remain difficult to fully discuss both in the consulting room and in professional discourse. The book provides a refreshing, thoughtful, honest look at many of the taboos present in psychoanalysis, even at this moment of greatly improved communication between the various theoretical schools in the field. Reading it provides a sense of freedom for the reader, as speaking of forbidden thoughts always does.