Against Therapy: Emotional Tyranny and the Myth of Psychological Healing by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

Author:Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson [Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Psychology
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing
Published: 2012-07-11T04:00:00+00:00

6

SEX AND BATTERING IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

A number of psychotherapists I spoke to about John Rosen were willing to concede that he was, indeed, a very bad person, and, a greater concession, even a very bad psychotherapist. But surely, they argued, this did not reflect on the entire profession. Even granting me that his fame and influence live on and that many prominent psychiatrists simply will not admit that he is terrible, nevertheless, they point to the fact that he did, a few years ago, lose his medical license. It may have been overdue, but at least such a man is no longer practicing psychotherapy. This is true, but it is more than his influence that lives on. There are many disciples of John Rosen who continue to use the methods he taught them.[1]

One of these disciples is Albert Honig (not a psychiatrist, but a doctor of osteopathy). Medical Director of the Delaware Valley Mental Health Foundation, “a unique therapeutic community” (to quote from its brochure), in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a “nonprofit, non-sectarian institution dedicated to the treatment of severe emotional illness, research and training.” The description is idyllic, emphasizing community, the warmth of a familylike, gentle environment in which patients live in little cottages nestled among thirteen acres of rolling hills in Bucks County. It sounds like what many families are looking for. Indeed, in its April 5, 1966, issue. Look magazine featured a major article entitled “Breakthrough in Psychiatry: Revolutionary Treatment of the Mentally Ill” (“produced” by Chandler Brossard and photographed by Matt Herron) about the Foundation and Dr. Honig, who was described as the “dedicated and brilliant young director.” The article explained that Honig’s method was patterned on “direct psychoanalysis.” The pictures showed Honig “interacting” with patients. There is one of an angry Honig with his hand over a patient’s mouth. The caption read: “Following his direct-therapy method. Dr. Honig furiously puts his hand over patient’s mouth to stop him from lying.” Most of the article consisted of dialogue between Honig and his patients. Here is a typical comment from Dr. Honig: “Your obsession is warding off the anxiety which is related to that which is the mother’s breast. Our battle is with your compulsion.” But incomprehensible gibberish is one thing, terrifying a patient is quite another; clearly Honig was an expert at both. He asked a young patient, “Do you know what autistic means?” and then gave him his inarticulate and threatening answer: “Autistic is somebody that stays by themself and eats candy and lives in a dream world, and doesn’t want to have anything to do with anybody else.”

Patient: I know what that means. Maybe there’s something that could be…

Honig: Let’s get him some candy. And I want it right in his room.

Patient: Try to be helped.

Honig: You want chocolate?

Patient: Yes. That’s right.

Honig: All right. We’re going to put ten pieces right in your room, and you’d better not touch one.

Patient: I understand that. I will not.

Honig: They’re going right on your dresser. If one of those is gone… Ho! Ho! Just don’t show up the next morning.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.