Psychotherapy: An Erotic Relationship: Transference and Countertransference Passions [Paperback]

David Mann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0415148529 | ISBN-13: 978-0415148528 | Edition: 1

Psychotherapy: An Erotic Relationship challenges the traditional belief that transference and countertransference are merely forms of resistance which jeopardize the therapeutic process. David Mann shows how the erotic feelings and fantasies experienced by clients and therapists can be used to bring about a positive transformation.
Combining extensive clinical material with theoretical insights and new research on infants, the author traces erotic development back to the parent-child relationship, drawing parallels between this relationship and the therapist/client dyad. Individual chapters explore the function of the erotic within the unconscious, pre-Oedipal and Oedipal material, homoeroticism in therapy, sexual intercourse as a metaphor for psychological change, the primal scene and the difficulties of working with perversions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is an excellent contribution to the understanding of erotic transference and coutertransference in the psychoanalytic psychotherapeutic process....an outstanding review of the psychoanalytic literature, the poetry, the mythology, and the philosophy of love....I found Mann's book very enjoyable reading and his concepts useful and refreshing to my clinical work.
–Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research

About the Author

David Mann is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. He works in primary care and private practice. He also runs workshops and teaches on psychotherapy training programmes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415148529
• ISBN-13: 978-0415148528
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and thorough book., September 14, 2007

By 

Dee York (Hemet, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psychotherapy: An Erotic Relationship: Transference and Countertransference Passions (Paperback)

Mann writes, "It is my proposition that the emergence of the erotic transference signifies the patients deepest wish for growth. Like those in love, patients wish to be known and understood, to change what they do not like about themselves, to alter what makes them unlovable. Through the erotic light is shone on the deepest recesses of the psyche...The erotic transference, therefore, is the most powerful and positive quality in the therapeutic process. The development of the erotic transference is a major transitional stage in which the repetitive and transformational desire of the patient's unconscious meet at a passionate junction. The heart of the unconscious is visible in all it's 'elemental passion', and in so opening allows for the prospect of transformation and psychic growth."

Upon stating this thesis the author then methodically proceeds to offer evidence in a thorough review of the literature and in some very interesting case studies. He actually served as the therapist for a man who killed his father and married his mother, Oedipus incarnate! Mann is very eloquent and I believe he contributes greatly to the discussion on transference.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review, July 26, 2006

By 

K. Thomas (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psychotherapy: An Erotic Relationship: Transference and Countertransference Passions (Paperback)

I very much enjoyed this book, which takes the reader beyond the classical view that erotic transference and countertransference signal forms of resistance, and instead looks at the inherent sensuality and sexuality in the therapy couple, and how this can be understood and worked with to effect transformation. David Mann takes us on a journey of the erotic, of love, showing us how this is at the basis of everything within us, and thus also at the basis of the therapy relationship.