The distinguished American bibliophilic website, Shepherd.com, has kindly chosen Professor Brett Kahr’s book on sexual fantasies, Who’s Been Sleeping in Your Head?: The Secret World of Sexual Fantasies (New York: Basic Books) – published in the United Kingdom as Sex and the Psyche (London: Allen Lane / Penguin Books) – as one of its core titles.
In response, Professor Kahr has supplied brief reviews of his five favourite books on the “secret underbelly of sexual psychology”.
The best books on the secret underbelly of sexual psychology
By Brett Kahr
Why am I passionate about this?
I have worked in the mental health profession for over forty years. Currently, I serve as Senior Fellow at the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology in London, and as Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health at Regent’s University London, as well as Honorary Director of Research at the Freud Museum London. I also hold posts as Chair of the Scholars Committee of the British Psychoanalytic Council and as Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, and I have authored eighteen books and have served as series editor for some eighty-five further titles. Read more…
Do some parents really hope that their children will die?
Although Sigmund Freud wrote extensively about death wishes in the family, he devoted far more attention to the child’s desire to kill the parent and, also, any unwanted siblings, rather than upon the parent’s desire to murder the child. Donald Winnicott elaborated upon parental death wishes, especially in his classic essay “Hate in the Counter-Transference”, albeit rather briskly. Building upon these foundational psychoanalytical contributions, Brett Kahr will draw upon his work with psychotic and forensic patients and, also, with normal-neurotic individuals, to explore the many ways in which maternal and paternal death wishes and death threats towards babies and children become internalised over time and, ultimately, contribute to the development of severe psychopathology.
In this special event for the Wimbledon Guild, Professor Kahr will explore the concept of the “infanticidal attachment”, examining how early death threats can damage the very foundations of the ego structure, resulting in psychosis, suicidality, criminality, severe eating problems, life-threatening addictions, and a host of other extreme psychological states. Drawing upon extensive case material, he will consider how intensive, long-term psychoanalytically orientated treatment can contribute to the neutralisation of such toxic “infanticidal introjects”.
The speaker
Professor Brett Kahr has worked in the mental health profession for over forty years. He is Senior Fellow at the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology in London, and, also, Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health in the Regent’s School of Psychotherapy and Psychology at Regent’s University London. He is, additionally, a Trustee of the Freud Museum London and of Freud Museum Publications, and, also, a Trustee of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, as well as Chair of the Scholars Committee of the British Psychoanalytic Council.
Author of fifteen books, including the best-selling Sex and the Psyche, as well as the popular books Tea with Winnicott and Coffee with Freud, he has also served as series editor for sixty further titles. His most recent books include: Bombs in the Consulting Room: Surviving Psychological Shrapnel; Celebrity Mad: Why Otherwise Intelligent People Worship Fame; and Dangerous Lunatics: Trauma, Criminality, and Forensic Psychotherapy.
He works full-time in independent practice and as a Consultant Psychotherapist to The Balint Consultancy.
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Regrettably, all online training workshop bookings are non-refundable in the event of cancellation in advance by you or your non-attendance on the day.
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You may cancel a booking by email (to the email address at section 8 below):• at least 60 days before the first date of the event or service you have booked, in which case you will be entitled to a 100% refund; or• between 30 and 60 days before the first date of the event or service you have booked, in which case you will be entitled to a 50% refund.As an alternative to these refunds, you have the option for us to issue you with a credit note to be used for a future event.These cancellation and refund (or credit) provisions do not apply to parts of an event such as a seminar within a series, but only to a whole event or complete series.If you cancel under 30 days before the first date of the event or service, then you will not be entitled to any refund or credit. However, you may give your place at an event to another person if you let us know that person’s name at least 24 hours before the event begins. 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Psychotherapy is increasingly part of people’s lives as they work through trauma, relationship breakdown and behavioural problems. As a private and confidential process how do we let people know what therapy is like?
And why do we need therapy?
Why is the couple important to family life?
Why does listening matter?
These and other questions are considered by Susie Orbach and Esther Perel, therapists and writers who are at the forefront of demystifying the process of therapy.
In July 2019, Susanna began a new venture making short films for Channel 4 News exploring our current political, personal and social struggles in a climate of uncertainty and great division. The series is called Britain on the Couch and so far Susanna has interviewed people and politicians across the country on her purple couch from Grimsby to London. One of the first films, focussed on the feelings of two men working in the fishing industry and more recently Susanna interviewed Tom Watson, the deputy leader of the Labour Party about his life, Brexit and his feelings around the botched Operation Midland investigation into historic childhood sexual abuse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb2AP6_CEho
This Event is a part of the Therapy and Social Change Seminar Series
What can the world of psychotherapy and counselling contribute to wider social justice and progressive social change? Lynne Gabriel and Kate Smith interview one of the most socially influentially psychotherapists in the world, Dr Susie Orbach
On 24th June 2019, the Royal Society of Literature inducted Dr. Susie Orbach into its prestigious, distinguished fellowship.
This is without doubt the highest honour in the literary world, and it is wonderful that Susie has become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She has made a landmark contribution to literature in so many ways.
Medical Psychotherapy Trainees and Trainers Conference 2023 – “Psychotherapy at Play”
Friday 26th May, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham
We are excited that the 2023 Medical Psychotherapy Trainees and Trainers Conference is fast approaching. It promises to be an interesting and inspiring day featuring a rich diversity of renowned speakers. Programme highlights include Dr Susie Orbach, the world acclaimed psychotherapist and author, in conversation about her work and her writing; Prof Adrian Sutton, Director of the Squiggle Foundation, speaking about the importance of play in his work with children and adolescents; Dr Haroula Konstantinidou on relational prescribing and Dr Simon Heyland on the use of language in working with medically unexplained symptoms.
This year for the first time we are hosting a collaborative conference, organised jointly by medical psychotherapy trainees and PsychArt, a trainee-led organisation celebrating the arts in psychiatry. We are pleased to be able to welcome professionals working in or interested in the disciplines of Psychotherapy, Psychiatry and the Arts as well as offering a great discounted rate for students.
We are pleased to invite submissions for an art competition where we encourage you to express what being alive means for you. All artistic media are welcome.
