Sex, Drugs and Creativity

Searching for Magic in a Disenchanted World
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-138-95608-7
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 156 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 399 g

Reihe: Psychological Issues

In Sex, Drugs, and Creativity: The Search for Magic in a Disenchanted World, Kahoud and Knafo take a close look at omnipotent fantasies in three domains: sex, drugs, and creativity. They demonstrate how these fantasies emerge and how artists draw on them both to create and destroy—sometimes simultaneously – and how understanding this can help psychoanalysts work more effectively with these individuals.

Using the personal statements of influential artists and entertainers, in addition to clinical material, the authors examine the omnipotence of self-destruction as it contends with that of creative artists. The authors argue that creative artists use omnipotent fantasies to imagine the world differently - this enables them to produce their art, but also leaves these artists vulnerable to addiction. Chapters devoted to Stephen King and Anne Sexton demonstrate the ways these authors used drugs and alcohol to fuel imagination and inspire creative output while simultaneously doing harm to themselves. A detailed case study also demonstrates successful clinical work with a creative substance user.

Sex, Drugs, and Creativity will appeal to anyone interested in the links between creativity and substance use, and will be of great use to psychoanalysts and mental health practitioners working with these challenging clients.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Professional, and Professional Practice & Development

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kahoud, Dustin

Knafo, Danielle

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologische Theorie, Psychoanalyse Psychoanalyse (S. Freud)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Lure of Omnipotence

PART I: The Magical Imperative

Chapter One: The Sexual Illusionist: Sleeping with a Fantasy

Chapter Two: Elixirs of Immortality: Transformations of Intoxication

Chapter Three: Mightier Than the Sword: The Magic of Creativity

PART II: Messages in a Bottle: Literary and Clinical Applications

Chapter Four: The Black Art of Anne Sexton

Chapter Five: The Monsters and Magic of Stephen King

Chapter Six: The Sorcerer Stoned: Quentin’s Case

Conclusion: Omnipotent Fantasies for a Disenchanted World

Über Autor(innen)

Dustin Kahoud is a clinical psychologist with specialized training in the treatment of addictions. He has received postgraduate training in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy as a candidate at the Derner Institute, where he also teaches classes on addictions to psychology graduate students. Dustin Kahoud continues to write about the omnipotent fantasies that drive human behavior, and he maintains a private practice in Great Neck, NY.



Danielle Knafo is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst. She is a professor at Long Island University and New York University. She has written and lectured extensively on the subjects of trauma, creativity, and sexuality. Her most recent book (with Routledge) is The Age of Perversion: Desire and Technology in Psychoanalysis and Culture.