Customer Reviews

Psychoanalytic Therapy & The Gay Man

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This book was so enlightning. When I opened it, to begin my reading, I must confess I was so enthusiastic that I read it quite fast, for a book that complex. After all, I'm not a therapist. It took me two weeks to deal with it, and it enriched my own therapy sessions in a very healthy way. Now my therapist wants to read it. And it was amazing, because during the period I was reading it, I felt so many times identified with the text, so close to many of the patients, so happy to realize I am not alone. I wanted to thank the author for his book.

Psychotherapy and the Gay Man is an intelligent and compassionalte examination of psychoanalytic treatment of male homosexuality. Dr. Drescher provides a rudder on the turbulent seas that surround the controversies about clinical treatment with this population.

From the outset this book helps us understand that being gay may or many not be a big concern for the patient but, growing-up in a culture that pathologies sexual orientations creastes many problems for gay men and biases for therapists.

What is especially appealing about this book is the clear framework he provides for examining the difficulties that emerge in the treatment context. His ideas are clear and he integrates the social and political conditions that influence the therapist as well as the patient. He uses case examples to illustrate his points, making the book immediately accessible. He places the client's subjective experience at the center of the therapeutic process and rejects conforming to society's biases as a treatment goal. I was able to use his insights in my work immediately and felt like he was answering some of the questions that had been luring in the back of my mind.

The book is a necessary resource for therapists who work with gay men and valuable for therapists who work with anyone who experiences themselves as a minority. The writing is so accessible I think gay patients will find it invaluable as well.