Psychotherapy with the Orthodox Jew

the long version

In this stimulating and insightful book, Dr. Strean sensitizes the psychodynamically oriented psychotherapist to the complex and controversial issues surrounding the treatment of the Orthodox Jewish patient. He begins by documenting the ambivalent relationship that has existed historically between psychotherapy and Orthodox Judaism. Then, drawing upon his rich clinical experiences as a psychoanalyst, teacher, and supervisor, Dr. Strean shows clearly how religion serves unconscious, neurotic, and defensive functions as well as adaptive purposes. Written in a personal, self-reflective style, Dr. Strean's case study material illustrates beautifully the relevance and application of psychoanalytic concepts to understanding the life and struggles of the Orthodox Jewish patient. These theoretical and technical constructs include transference and countertransference, the relationship between overt behaviors and their genetic antecedents, and the effects of interpretation on facilitating childhood reconstructions. Dr. Strean conclusively demonstrates that by approaching religious behavior and fantasies in the same metapsychological manner in which psychoanalysis understands all human behavior, the Orthodox Jewish patient becomes a happier person who gets pleasure from life as well as from his or her religion.