My Head and My Heart: Exploring Sex, Love & Life Through the Unconscious Mind | Psychology & Relationships Book | Perfect for Self-Discovery & Couples Therapy

Product Description

What makes us do the things we do? Though evolutionary psychology may be in vogue, some still cling to less biologically oriented beliefs about our motivations, and their explanations can often be deeply resonant with our intuitions. Dr. Jorge De Gregorio is a psychoanalyst in the Freudian tradition who tackles the problems of unconscious desires in My Head and My Heart. Using Presidents Bill Clinton and Thomas Jefferson as examples of people with libidinous conflicts that had dramatic impacts on their public and private lives, he untangles their early lives from a mix of primary sources and inspired guesswork to arrive at mythic explanations for their seemingly self-destructive behavior. Monica Lewinsky, who performed [Clinton's] rejuvenated and resurrected mother for him, made her Valentine's Day call heard, just as his paternal grandmother (who died on a Valentine's Day) did to his father. Monica, as representative of the President's mother and daughter, desperately asked to be filled with life, a request he could not refuse. Those who see in psychoanalysis little more than a 19th-century parlor game will find little here to convince them otherwise. Conversely, those who prefer less reductionism in their psychology will find De Gregorio's tales of extraordinary forces driving ordinary people charming and even compelling. He believes that his "existential diagnoses" of clients permits him to quickly reach solutions with them, and he makes a strong, if understated, case for reclaiming our emotional lives from pill-wielding doctors. It's refreshing to see that the community of psychotherapists still supports such a diversity of opinion. --Rob Lightner