Claudia Luiz, “Where’s My Sanity? Stories That Help” (CreateSpace, 2013)

Join us for a maximum dopamine experience as Dr. Claudia Luiz discusses the making of her book Where’s My Sanity? Stories That Help, an everyman’s tour de force that’s poised to create a seismic shift in the cultural consciousness.  Psychoanalysis has been as yet unsuccessful in seducing the gentry that lying on the couch is where the action is.  Dr. Luiz’s mission is to help people understand that it’s emotional experiences that create change vs. short-term prescriptive steps (12 of them or otherwise).  To this end she is a psychoanalytic ambassador of sorts.

During this interview, Dr. Luiz first describes her process of writing the book – a process she likens to artistry and an attempt to strike the right ‘note’ between herself as author and reader as audience (Luiz’ parents are both analysts and former music virtuosi).  She undergoes a learning process with a non-analyst producer who helps her understand how an audience engages with media.  She learns that the book must be pleasurable in order to deliver optimum dopamine to be engaging. This leads to natural associations to the psychoanalytic process.  And she learns that what the audience craves is an analyst who will reveal herself. When it comes to being an analyst, there’s no such thing as being invisible anyway. Dr. Luiz has given a lot of thought to the analyst’s presence, digital or otherwise.  She believes what the patient needs is an analyst comfortable with her presence and her emotions – whether they’re on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter or they’re affecting optimum analytic neutrality (which according to Luiz, doesn’t exist).

When it comes to discussing the general public’s lack of zeal for psychoanalysis, Luiz believes we have a definite P.R. problem. What we need to do is sell psychoanalysis in a way that is sexy. After all, what could be more sexy then someone who will listen to you, really understand you, be there for you no matter what and when hearing about your most negative and distasteful parts will want to know more and more? Psychoanalysis is sexy indeed.  Claudia Luiz believes if we can sell the meta-theory to the right party, we might have a chance.   Oprah, are you listening?

But besides the perils, pitfalls and hoped-for resurrection of the talking cure, Luiz gets into the technique (meat and potatoes) of working analytically with children, teens, parents and married adults.  It’s a stimulating interview with one of Modern Psychoanalysis’ foremost practitioners.

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