Dr. Dustin Kahoud, PsyD and Dr. Danielle Knafo, PhD
Sex, Drugs, and Creativity: Searching for Magic in a Disenchanted World
Dr. Dustin Kahoud, PsyD and Dr. Danielle Knafo, PhD
Sex, Drugs, and Creativity: Searching for Magic in a Disenchanted World
In Sex, Drugs, and Creativity: Searching for Magic in a Disenchanted World, Kahoud and Knafo take a close look at omnipotent fantasies in three domains: sex, drugs, and creativity. They demonstrate how these fantasies emerge and how artists draw on them both to create and destroy—sometimes simultaneously—and how understanding this can help therapists work more effectively with these individuals.Using personal statements of influential artists and entertainers, in addition to clinical material, the authors examine the omnipotence of self-destruction as it contends with that of creativity.
The authors argue that creative artists use omnipotent fantasies to imagine the world differently—this enables them to produce their art, but also leaves them vulnerable to addiction. Chapters devoted to Stephen King and Anne Sexton show the ways these authors used drugs and alcohol to fuel imagination and inspire creative output while simultaneously doing harm to themselves. A detailed case study also demonstrates successful work with a creative substance user.
Dustin Kahoud, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist with specialized training in the treatment of addictions. He is an advanced candidate in the Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy program at the Derner School of Psychology, where he also teaches classes on addictions and psychopharmacology to psychology graduate students. Dustin maintains a private practice in Great Neck, NY, treating adults and couples, and he continues to write about the omnipotent fantasies that drive human behaviors, both creative and addictive.
Danielle Knafo, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst. She is a professor in the psychology doctoral program at LIU-Post. She is also faculty and supervisor at NYU’s Postdoctoral program in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis and Derner’s Postgraduate Programs in Psychoanalysis. She has published 8 books and dozens of articles on topics that include psychoanalysis, art and creativity, sex and gender, trauma and psychosis, and technology. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Great Neck, NY.
