Desire, Pain and Thought presents a new perspective on primal erotogenic masochism, which Marilia Aisenstein regards as the core of psychoanalytic theory. Aisenstein distinguishes between pathological masochism – the active search for pain – and primal erotogenic masochism, which she believes develops in early childhood. Desire, Pain and Thought explains that the formation of this response in a child is essential to the survival of the individual and the development of resilience. Aisenstein skilfully and convincingly uses her deep understanding of metapsychology and her mastery of Freud’s seminal papers to demonstrate that thought is one of the manifestations of desire which implies a painful renunciation of the object of desire. By moving away from its pathological, negative connotation to a more positive one, the book presents an understanding of masochism as “the guardian of life”. Desire, Pain and Thought will be essential reading for psychoanalysts in practice and in training.

Psychosomatics have classically been of peripheral importance within our wellknown theoretical models, despite the fact that they do have a history in the field of psychoanalysis. This might be owing to the fact that Freud did not explicitly approach psychosomatics and, in consequence, did not put forward any hypotheses within his theoretical body. However, the Freudian concepts of actual neuroses and mixed neuroses are a basis in order to understand psychosomatic phenomena. The same could be said about the connections established with subsequent Freudian theoretical models, such as: the introduction of narcissism, unresolved mourning processes, early trauma and the action of Thanatos.

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Providing a comprehensive perspective on human desire, this volume brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines. It addresses such key questions as how desires of different kinds emerge, how they influence judgment and decision making, and how problematic desires can be effectively controlled. Current research on underlying brain mechanisms and regulatory processes is reviewed. Cutting-edge measurement tools are described, including practical recommendations for their use. The book also examines pathological forms of desire and the complex relationship between desire and happiness. The concluding section analyzes specific applied domains--eating, sex, aggression, substance use, shopping, and social media.

When we or our loved ones fall ill, our world is thrown into disarray, our routines are interrupted, our beliefs shaken. David Morris offers an unconventional, deeply human exploration of what it means to live with, and live through, disease. He shows how desire—emotions, dreams, stories, romance, even eroticism—plays a crucial part in illness.

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Pure-intrusive thoughts in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are involved, disturbing, and more challenging to treat when they consist of a desire-intrusive component. This book examines this critical issue. The first part looks at the author's experiences of living with OCD. It further discusses self-harm, paedophilia, addiction, morality and guilt. The second part gives a practical guide for treating OCD. Currently, the methods include cognitive-behavioural therapy, exposure-response prevention, Mindfulness and medication. The third part digs deeper to understand better the desire-intrusive element. It talks about intrusive lust for darkness amidst terror in religious OCD that stirs up subsequent feelings of misplaced guilt. It explains arousal in paedophile, transgender, incest and porn obsessions followed by erroneous self-labelling. Moreover, it examines the distinction between suicide-obsessive thoughts with suicide ideation, and it defines non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) versus self-harm obsessions. This honest and practical book concludes by incorporating additional techniques for improving treatment outcomes. And it shows how deep brain stimulation can target the brain areas responsible for OCD when conventional treatments fail. 'This is a very demanding piece... I'm sure that you are onto something. I long puzzled about obsessions and addictions, not least in my own case!!' Professor F. Toates, author of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Biological Psychology.