The Impossibility of Sex: Stories of the Intimate Relationships between Therapist and Patient

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The conventional view of a patient in therapy has been that of someone who forms a powerful, erotic bond with the therapist. On the other hand, the view of the therapist has been that of a neutral listener, emotionally unaffected by the patient. But what really does go on within the sacrosanct space of the therapist's office?

Distinguished psychotherapist Susie Orbach provides the answers as she presents six stories of patients, all of whom suffer from such common afflictions as depression, loneliness, compulsive eating, consuming sexual desires, and fear of attachment. In each story, Orbach reveals not just the client's problems, but -- with startling honesty -- the effect the client has on her as therapist.

The Impossibility of Sex breaks new ground by taking us into the center of the therapy relationship, one usually shrouded by therapist-client confidentiality. From the unlikely role the therapist plays in the troubled relationship of two lesbians to the unsettling dreams the therapist experiences while treating a man consumed by sexual desire, Orbach illuminates the complex human interactions at the heart of the therapeutic process and the "joint discoveries" that contribute to its effectiveness.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

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 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

Therapist Orbach (Fat Is a Feminist Issue) explains that the point of this misleadingly titled book is to convey "the feel of the relationship developed between the therapist and patient." Using six therapy case histories based on her real-life clients, she investigates their problems (some of them sexual)--which, from a voyeuristic perspective, is fun--and her own reactions, which are somewhat narcissistic and distracting. In the midst of the case histories, she also discusses psychoanalysis. Two different typefaces are used to distinguish the case histories from the digressions on psychoanalysis, and a third would have been helpful to offset Orbach's reactions. The concluding discussion of the female psyche is interesting but seems tacked on. Although somewhat confusing in execution, this bizarre little book is recommended for academic and public libraries, as the publisher notes that Orbach was Princess Diana's therapist.--Margaret Cardwell, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Lisa Jennifer Selzman - The New York Times Book Review