Unconscious Fantasies and the Relational World

Knafo, Danielle; Feiner, Kenneth

"'Unconscious Fantasies and the Relational World' is a tightly woven study of broad and basic questions. It is in equal measure a contemporary re-visioning of the grounds of fantasy formation, a relationally informed guide to clinical techniques for dealing with unconscious fantasy, and an examination of the generative potential of unconscious fantasy in the arts. Out of the authors' broadening and broad-minded sensibility emerges an illuminating study of the manifold ways in which unconscious fantasies shape lives and enrich clinical work."—SirReadaLot.org"...a strong and needed addition to clinical practice and is highly recommended. The book ends with a brilliant analysis of the visual media renderings of the French artist Olan. This critical biographical and artistic section powerfully presents the manner in which unconscious fantasies inform and shape the self and productions in the world."—PsycCRITIQUES“Knafo and Feiner have done a masterful job of reinvigorating the concept of unconscious fantasy. Their erudition is worn so lightly that we are carried along by the sheer pleasure of seeing how the false dichotomy between fantasy and reality dissolves into a mutually interpenetrating dialectic. By combining modern classical and relational theory, they bridge a one-person emphasis on imagination and desire with a two-person focus on relationality and social context. The resulting synthesis not only attests to the centrality of fantasy as a problem-solving mode of thought; it also reestablishes the critical importance of fantasy for contemporary psychoanalysis.”—Virginia Goldner, Ph.D.Founding Editor, Studies in Gender and Sexuality"Through an interwoven mix of the clinical, the theoretical, and the psychology of the arts, Knafo and Feiner explore the crossroads where unconscious fantasy meets relational processes. They have produced an informed, highly readable, and stimulating book - a book at the center of current theoretical debates that will reward readers at all levels."—Fred PinePrivate Practice, New York City

• Introduction. Unconscious Fantasies and Psychic Structure. Part I: Primal Scene Fantasies. The Primal Scene: Variations on a Theme. Blue Velvet: David Lynch's Primal Scene [cinema]. Part II: Family Romance Fantasies. Not in the Family: Family Romance Fantasies and Enactments in Psychoanalysis. Fact, Fantasy, and Fiction: Jerzy Kosinski's Family Romance and Imposture [literature]. Part III: Castration Fantasies. Castration Fantasies, Sexual Difference, and Mind-Body Matters. Now You See It, Now You Don't: A Case Study of Castration and "Omnisexuality." Art on the Cutting Edge: Orlan's Medusan Female [visual/performance art].