Freud and Augustine in Dialogue: Psychoanalysis, Mysticism and Culture of Modern Spirituality By Williams B. Parsons Charlottesville, VA:  University of Virginia Press, 2013,  179 pp.

Following convention, topics to be avoided at a party are religion, politics and sex. Following the psychoanalytic spirit, all is to be explored in an analysis including one's religious beliefs, political values and particularly sex. Patients often have blind spots and avoid taboo topics, but find it freeing when these sources of conflicts are eventually addressed.

So, what blind spots exist in psychoanalytic theory? One could argue, that spirituality and mysticism make the list. Putting aside for the moment the problem with defining terms and confusions with religion, spirituality and mysticism do not fit neatly into psychoanalytic categories. Although there is increasingly more discussion of these two topics in psychoanalytic literature, it would be difficult to argue that spirituality and mysticism have been a topic of high interest. However, what are the theoretical and practical consequences of not adequately addressing these forces? Would psychoanalytic theory then claim to have put to rest the metaphysical debate on the existence of God? What do we do with the patient seeking spiritual understanding?

Psychoanalysis is a powerful tool, limited by the humans who use it. Interestingly, as psychoanalysis has matured from its beginnings with Freud, topics that were once avoided have been scrutinized with clinically meaningful results. For example, counter-transference, considered a dangerous blind spot at one time, is now not only a force to be addressed but an essential tool. Although psychoanalysis has had, at best, a complicated relationship with spirituality and mysticism, it might benefit from revisiting it. Is the process of pathologizing spirituality and mysticism congruent with the spirit of psychoanalysis? How is the psychoanalytic method able to help with one's spiritual journey? Are there limitations to a psychoanalytic understanding of spirituality or mysticism?

In his book, Freud and Augustine in Dialogue: Psychoanalysis, Mysticism and Culture of Modern