The Black Book of Psychoanalysis

A source of controversy in France in 2005, The Black Book of Psychoanalysis arrives in Brazil and promises to motivate a broad debate about the theories, until now unshakable, forged by Sigmund Freud, and also about psychoanalysis itself.

In Brazil, the book originally edited by Catherine Meyer has been published in an abridged edition by psychoanalyst Simone Perelson, who also wrote the translation. Featuring articles, interviews, and testimonials, this work brings together the thoughts of 23 authors from various countries, spanning the fields of history, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology, journalism, and physics. The texts reveal and question key facets of Freudian theory and practice, thus bringing the discussion closer to the general public.

“The publication of the black book of psychoanalysis led French psychoanalysts to leave their usual positions – a place of discussion almost exclusively with their peers – and to address the ‘others’, the laypeople, the media,” highlights the organizer of the Brazilian edition.

Intellectuals such as psychoanalyst and historian Elisabeth Roudinesco took to the field to challenge the ideas defended in the book. The authors' attacks point to a series of untruths held by Freud and highlight the decline of psychoanalysis, still hegemonic in France but in decline worldwide. The effectiveness of psychoanalysis is confronted with other methods, most notably so-called CBT—cognitive-behavioral therapies. Proponents of this approach, such as Jean Cottraux, creator of the CBT diploma at the University of Lyon I, author the texts and revive the long-standing conflict between the tradition of Freudian-Lacanian theory and this new approach.