The New Sexual Landscape and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

By Danielle Knafo and Rocco Lo Bosco

The sexual landscape has changed dramatically in the past few decades, with the meaning of gender and sexuality now being parsed within the realms of gender fluidity, nonheteronormative sexuality, BDSM, and polyamory. The sea change in sexual attitudes has also made room for the mainstreaming of internet pornography and the use of virtual reality for sexual pleasure – and the tech gurus have not even scratched the surface when it comes to mining the possibilities of alternative realities.

The New Sexual Landscape and Contemporary Psychoanalysis surveys modern sex culture and suggests ways psychoanalysis can update its theories and practice to meet the novel needs of today’s generations. This volume pays special attention to technology, which is augmenting and expanding sexual and gender possibilities. In addition, the authors consider the future of sexuality and bonding in this brave new world and how psychoanalysis is best suited to meet our future. The underlying message is that technology extends, radicalizes, and subverts traditional notions of body, self, mind, sexual enjoyment and human love. The time has come for our psychoanalytic healers to meet this postmodern challenge head on.

An interview with Dr. Knafo about the book:
https://publicseminar.org/essays/sex-with-robots-lacan/

A podcast interview with Dr. Knafo about the book:
https://newbooksnetwork.com/danielle-knafo-the-new-sexual-landscape-and-contemporary-psychoanalysis-confer-books-2020/

Endorsements

This splendid book will deliver new ideas to clinicians and academics to be sure, but it is really a gift to all of us who want to think about sexuality more deeply — and less anxiously. It is not only an updated erotic encyclopedia (which it is) but is also a tender exploration of the psychic work that sexual play accomplishes through its grand imagination, rule-breaking practices, and intricate forms of meaning.
Readers should expect to be shocked, perhaps even thrilled — but also unexpectedly touched and moved.
–Virginia Goldner, Ph.D., Founding Editor, Studies in Gender and Sexuality, Faculty, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

This new volume …is a truly outstanding contribution to psychoanalytic thinking. It is a wake-up call to all practitioners–“The Times They Are A-Changin’ “. We clinicians must adjust to a sea change in how gender and sexuality are evolving and how these transformations are related to our digital era. The book is scholarly and compelling at the same time. It is difficult to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the future of psychotherapy in an era dominated by technology.
–Glen O. Gabbard, MD, Clinical Professor Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine