New Books in Psychoanalysis

• Richard Reichbart, "The Anatomy of a Psychotic Experience: A Personal Account of Psychosis and Creativity" (Ipbooks, 2022)

  In Anatomy of a Psychotic Experience (Ipbooks, 2022), psychoanalyst Richard Reichbart recounts a psychotic experience when he was in his thirties juxtaposing an account written a few years after the experience with reflections made decades later. This unique work captures both the subjective experience of a particular kind of psychosis, and the analytic interpretation of that experience. "He graphically portrays both the feel and the logic of a psychotic episode foreshadowed by his separation from college and from law school and ultimately precipitated by the loss of his beloved grandfather. His search for his identity led him to the Navajo reservation which was 'ideal for the nurturance of my psychosis.' He gives testimony to the help he received from two outstanding psychoanalysts who worked with him to unpack and weave together the effects of childhood events and fantasies on his adult personality. A book for those at all levels of psychoanalysis, one that demonstrates the possibility of psychoanalyzing psychosis." - JANICE LIEBERMAN, PHD Akilesh Ayyar is a spiritual teacher and writer in New York. He can be reached at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

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• Adrian Keith Perkel, "Unlocking the Nature of Human Aggression: A Psychoanalytic and Neuroscientific Approach" (Routledge, 2023)

  Today I began my discussion with Dr. Adrian Perkel about his new book Unlocking The Nature of Human Aggression: A Psychoanalytic and Neuroscientific Approach (Routledge, 2024)  “Aggression is to the mind what the immune system is to the body. It doesn’t seek the fight.” With this perfect mind-body analogy Dr. Perkel proposes a clear way to think theoretically and work clinically with aggression. Throughout the book he links Freud’s formulations of the psyche with contemporary physics and biochemistry. Perkel’s assertion that “Where the aggressive drive goes, so therein lies the solution to many of the psychological problems that present to us in life” is broadly summarized in three essential points: 1. The aggressive drive in the human psyche has the aim of reducing stimuli and excitations brought on by internal and external impingements - it is not looking for a fight. 2. What constitutes a threat or impingement is not necessarily objective - in fact it is always filtered through subjective experience and the UCS associations that are revisited repeatedly giving rise to a lens through which experience is filtered. 3. This experience is driven by memory traces of experience that embed themselves in the UCS and are revisited and hence enacted in a repetitive manner. “My argument is that what wraps all those three points together is that you have life drive needs yes but they're often unfulfilled they're often frustrated and then we need a second mechanism which is what Freud called the death drive.” Acknowledging that the death drive is contentious in psychoanalysis “in neuroscience it's not contested.” I knew going into this interview that we would only discuss a few concepts and elaborations from his book. For more of Dr. Perkel’s writing and webinar on this book please go here and here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

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• When People Can't Listen

  Dr. Karyne Messina, host of this series, and Dr. Felecia Powell-Williams, the co-host, talked about what happens when people can’t listen. They discussed events that occurred at the Annual Conference of the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsA) that took place in San Francisco earlier this month and the half time show at Super Bowl 59. Dr. Powell-Williams, who attend the conference, said she left the APsA meeting holding a multitude of emotions. “On one level it was a satisfying reunification of parts of the organization that were split off due to fear or intolerance of exploring difference.” She added that as a guest on the Holmes Commission’s panel when Sam Cooke's song was played, “It's Been a Long Time Coming,” it resonated with her life experiences. She said she thought the attendees were very moved as well as they listened to the song together. Both hosts talked about the meaning of the words and how important it is to listen and take in the essence of the message. Dr. Messina introduced Kendrick Lamar’s half time show at Superbowl 59. After briefly reviewing the theme of the performance she highlighted once again the importance of “listening,” whether or not one knows the words, adding that Lamar blended artistry, social commentary, and star power to the show. She made a point of saying one doesn’t necessarily have to understand the words to a song or even like them to gather meaning. She said we all have the right to dislike any type of entertainment but when we don’t understand because we refuse to listen, we could be missing something very important. She also said she liked the fact that the performance included women such as SZA who joined Lamar on stage to perform “Luther” and “All the Stars” as well as Serena Williams who made an appearance as one of Lamar’s dancers. Dr. Powell-Williams talked about Jay-Z’s partnership with the NFL, a collaboration that has given him significant influence over the selection of half time show performers. The host and co-host also talked about psychoanalytic mechanisms of defense that may have been part of the controversy about the performance. They both focused on denial, an unconscious defense that comes into play when something is too painful or difficult to process. They suggested that may have occurred with people who dismissed the show entirely. Intellectualization as a defense was discussed by Dr. Powell-Williams. This occurs when responses of viewers focus on certain aspects of a performance, such as the choreography or musical arrangements, rather than engaging with its emotional or political content. By analyzing the show from a detached, analytical perspective, these individuals could have been avoiding the more challenging aspects of Lamar’s message. Both hosts talked about projection as a defense which occurs when people attribute their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else. This allows them to avoid dealing with these aspects of themselves by seeing them in others instead. Projection may have played a significant role with some viewers based on their reactions to the show. Those who felt threatened by the social commentary might have projected their own biases or interpretations onto the performance, assuming Lamar’s intentions aligned with their own views rather than engaging with the actual performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

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• Alfie Bown, "Post-Comedy" (Polity, 2025)

  Not so long ago, comedy and laughter were a shared experience of relief, as Freud famously argued. At their best, ribbing, roasting, piss-taking and insulting were the foundation of a kind of universal culture from which friendship, camaraderie and solidarity could emerge. Now, comedy is characterized by edgy humour and misplaced jokes that provoke personal and social anxiety, causing divisive cultural warfare in the media and among people. Our comedy is fraught with tension like never before, and so too is our social life. We often hear the claim that no one can take a joke anymore. But what if we really can’t take jokes anymore? Post-Comedy (Polity, 2025) argues that the spirit of comedy is the first step in the building of society, but that it has been lost in the era of divisive identity politics. Comedy flares up debates about censorship and cancellation, keeping us divided from one other. This goes against the true universalist spirit of comedy, which is becoming a thing of the past and must be recovered. Alfie Bown is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Media at Kings College London. His research focuses on psychoanalysis, digital media and popular culture. He has also worked as a journalist, writing for The Guardian, Paris Review, New Statesman, Tribune, and others. His books include The Playstation Dreamworld, Post-Memes, and Dream Lovers: The Gamification of Relationships. He is the founder of Everyday Analysis which publishes pamphlets and essay collections with contemporary social and political issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

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• Peter Shabad, "Passion, Shame, and the Freedom to Become: Seizing the Vital Moment in Psychoanalysis" (Routledge, 2024)

  Passion, Shame, and the Freedom to Become: Seizing the Vital Moment in Psychoanalysis (Routledge, 2025), by Peter Shabad, examines how humans can overcome feelings of shame through self‑acceptance and regain their innate passion and freedom to grow. Shabad examines in detail how self-shaming and passivity are intertwined with the fatalism of self-pity, envy, resentment, and ultimately, regret for not "seizing the vital moments" in life. From birth on, children attempt to contribute to the human endeavor through their innate passion. Parental receptivity enables a child to plant seeds of belonging, inspiring the generative passion necessary for furthering development. Exposed vulnerability due to the lack of receptivity leads to feelings of shame and self-consciousness; as human beings, we interpret our misfortunes and limitations as punishments and reverse our passion into an inhibited passivity. Shabad envisions psychotherapy as a pathway through which individuals learn to inclusively accept all aspects of their inner lives in order to embark on their journey of self-acceptance. He emphasizes the need for therapists to view patients as active agents in this process. Passion, Shame, and the Freedom to Become is a must read for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of the dynamics of shame and passion in our lives. Akilesh Ayyar is a spiritual teacher and writer in New York. He can be reached at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

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