BLIND ACCEPTANCE

Historically, beginning with Sigmund Freud, psychoanalysts have written case studies, theoretical treatises, and studies on technique, or sometimes a discourse on an observation such as Alma Bond's "The Masochist Is the Leader,"[i] an article I found insightful and helpful these many years ago. Since then, Dr. Bond has retired from successful psychoanalytic practice.

I believe that the psychoanalytic thought processes become ingrained in the practitioner's mind and will always continue to illuminate both relationships and inner experiences. So what does a retired psychoanalyst do? Dr. Bond's interest in women and their place in our society, led her to research the lives of several famous women, among them Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Hillary Clinton, and most recently Barbra Streisand. In a uniquely creative coup, Dr. Bond - in the guise of Dr. Darcy Dale - puts them on her virtual couch and session by fictitious session recounts the true biographical details of their lives. The reader is informed not only of the "patients'" life stories and their feelings, but also of Dr. Darcy's personal reactions to what she hears. In addition to therapeutic interventions, Dr. Darcy sometimes even gives expression to her own thoughts and feelings in a way not officially so approved by early classical psychoanalysts, though without ill effects in these fantasized analyses.

Barbra Streisand arrives at Dr. Darcy Dale's office in disguise, and addresses the doctor in an unmistakable Brooklyn accent. Nevertheless, she quickly reveals herself to be a highly intelligent, creative, and multi-talented woman. Yet, Dr. Darcy Dale "wasn't sure I liked her. There was a grandiose, narcissistic hostile quality about her that I found off-putting. But I know my job isn't to like people; it's to help them, so I decided to give her a chance" (p. 5).

Barbra's first session seemed to give a preview of all that was to come to light in infinitely more detail during later thrice-weekly sessions. The same was true in the fictitious analyses of Marilyn, Jackie and Hillary. Perhaps it is important to realize that we should all pay even closer attention to what transpires in the first contact with our patients.

Barbra's childhood was difficult. Her beloved father died when she was eighteen months old. She grew up in abject poverty, so that her mother told her to steal the neighbor's milk. Her mother remarried and her stepfather treated her miserably. Her mother was unsupportive: When Barbra voiced an interest in acting, her mother discouraged her, saying in Yiddish that the daughter is a "mieskeit" (ugliness).

Each of the other women "On the Couch" had to suffer either a critical, demanding parent, or, in Marilyn's case, a mentally ill mother, no father, and sequential foster families. The wonder is their successes. What made it possible?

A California research[ii] on children's resiliency found that pre-school to school predictors of performance were correlated with family support and social class. These factors varied among the "On the Couch" women. The research also listed children's "personal-social qualities," such as self-initiation, capacity for work, and response to stress, as well as the ability to use support. "Adaptability" was included (Anthony & Cohler, 1987, p.79), however, without any mention of level of intelligence.

For Barbra the memory of her father was of the utmost importance. "At the crucial 18-20 month juncture, when Piaget posits object permanence ... psychological representations in terms of object relations seem to be relatively unstable" (Greenspan, 1979, p.301)[i]iii Yet, it seems possible that highly intelligent Barbra was sufficiently precocious to have a memory of her father, perhaps an internalized sense of his presence with her. Based on this, plus biographical information she learned later, probably helped Barbra to idealize him and to keep a representation of his encouraging presence in her consciousness.

In "On the Couch" Dr. Darcy - as Barbra came to call her - accepted Barbra's phenomenological experience and representation of her father. While the memory of her father is of the good parent, that of her unsupportive mother - who called her daughter a mieskeit [ugliness] - is of the bad parent. Still, Barbra credits her mother with giving her the opportunity to oppose her at every turn. "I should be grateful to her. I have a funny quirk - if someone says I can't do something, I have to do it no matter how hard it is, just to prove 'em wrong" (p. 10).

Besides the evidence of Barbra's resilient response to stress, according to Greenspan, "behavioral creativity and originality," and "integration of behavioral and emotional polarities" promote adaptability (p. 382).

Barbra was endowed with the gifts of creativity and originality. - and more. She expressed her talents and creativity in diverse areas of life. These characteristics. fueled by her high intelligence, enabled her to be resilient during difficult times in childhood, during the early years of her career, and after several wrong choices of husbands, until she finally found the love of her life, a truly supportive husband who makes her happy and fulfilled.

If there is one minor flaw of logic in the account of Barbra Streisand On the Couch, it is that at the beginning Barbra says "Thirty years with a million different analysts ... And I don't understand myself any better than the day I walked into the door of the first one. ... I wish my life was more peaceful. I wish I got less angry" (p.7) Yet on page 278, during her January 18, 2016 session, Barbra reports that on July 1, 2016, she and her husband will celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary.

Throughout the fictitious psychoanalysis of Barbra Streisand, Dr. Dale lets the reader know the analyst's impressions, thoughts, and feelings. It gives the reader a fairly accurate picture of the psychoanalytic process. The reader can empathize with both patient and therapist, and remain awed by both their talents. At the end of each session, this reader eagerly awaited the next one to find out what would follow..

Dr. Bond has succeeded in writing a fast-paced book of interest and benefit to younger members of the profession and to the general public.