Why Betty Friedan Threw the Body Out With the Bathwater

Fifty years after its publication, Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique continues to influence how women think about what “makes them tick.”  Friedan got a lot right, but with decades of hindsight, it’s easy to see she got some things wrong, particularly her outright rejection of the impact of hormonal shifts on female experience. Friedan’s book … Read more

Why Do I Get So Hungry Right Before My Period?

Hormones and menstrual cycle affect eating and body image: by Susan Kolod, Ph.D. Published on February 28, 2013 by The Contemporary Psychoanalysis Group in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Action This is the 3rd of 3 posts from the Eating Disorders, Compulsions and Addictions Service (EDCAS) of the William Alanson White Institute in recognition of National Eating … Read more

Rage, Guns, Drugs and Therapy: the Jean Harris Murder Case

The fact that she aimed the gun at Tarnower and not herself made her case unique Published on January 14, 2013 by The Contemporary Psychoanalysis Group in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Action The Jean Harris story was a compelling erotic fantasy: seduction, humiliation, abandonment and retribution.  It captured our attention in 1980, but if you are … Read more

The Male Biological Clock

Aging sperm is linked to children’s developmental and psychiatric conditions Published on December 3, 2012 by The Contemporary Psychoanalysis Group in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Action Men, as well as women, are advised to attend to the tick-tock of the biological clock. New research, reported in the NY Times (August 22, 2012) confirms that as men … Read more

A Date with Hurricane Sandy

Learning to know your partner in a crisis Published on November 9, 2012 by The Contemporary Psychoanalysis Group in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Action Who would you choose to be with during a hurricane? How much can you learn about your romantic partner’s character and feelings by spending time together during a crisis? I was lucky … Read more

Fifty Shades of Porn

Which Porn Is Good/Bad For Your Relationship Published on May 1, 2012 by The Psychoanalysis 3.0 Writing, Group in Psychoanalysis 3.0 The book, Fifty Shades of Grey, has been at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list for the last 8 weeks. Female patients, mostly women in their 30’s with small children, often … Read more

Brain Mapping Does Not Reveal What Turns a Woman On

Towards a marriage of sex research and contemporary psychoanalysis Published on August 31, 2011 by The Psychoanalysis 3.0 Writing, Group in Psychoanalysis 3.0 A recent brain imaging study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine showed something women have known for years; stimulating one’s clitoris, vagina, or nipples by hand or with … Read more

On the Front Lines with a Japanese Psychologist at the Fukushima Disaster

Developing culture-specific ‘systemic-psychodynamic’ models instead of PTSD Published on June 11, 2011 by The Psychoanalysis 3.0 Writing, Group in Psychoanalysis 3.0 My friend and colleague Naoto Kawabata is a Japanese psychologist doing relief work with families who have been traumatized by the disaster at Fukushima in Japan.  Naoto is the Founder and President of the … Read more

Taking More from Menopause than Hormone Replacement Therapy

Menopause as growth-promoting crisis rather than drug-taking opportunity Published on April 29, 2011 by The Psychoanalysis 3.0 Writing, Group in Psychoanalysis 3.0 New results coming out of the Women’s Health Initiative have put controversies about Hormone Replacement Therapy back in the news. Once again we ask: Why is menopause so difficult for some women? And why … Read more