Commentary on Santos

Beatriz Santos, in her article, argues that the need for a safe space in which the therapist is not prejudiced toward the patient is particularly important for “populations facing specific systematic discriminations” (p. 615), like the LGBTQI+ population and other marginalized populations like sex workers and immigrants. Santos says that in France, an association of mental health professionals has created a website called Psysafe which provides a list of safe practitioners for these populations.

According to Santos, safe analysts for transgender patients need openly to disclose that they will not pathologize these patients on account of their sexuality, like many of their colleagues who believe that transsexuality is a symptom of a patient’s need to deny the reality of sexual differences to avoid fears of castration.

Santos talks of a trans patient who came to see her. Six months into the treatment, the patient was very relieved when she looked for the therapist’s name on Google and found out that Santos, at a conference, had criticized the theoretical mistreatment of patients by analysts who use clinical theories and working modalities in contrast to the experience of the patient. This indirect discovery of the analyst’s view ended up helping the patient see the analyst’s support as real and reduce her fears of being hurt by the analyst.

Santos recounts a dialogue between Judith Butler and Monique David-Ménard on the relationship between social norms and psychoanalytic work. David-Ménard recognizes that norms have a strong influence on the psyche, but she deems it impossible for the analyst to consider the influence of norms while also focusing on the analytic work of listening to the unique expression of the patient’s speech. For David-Ménard, the idea of promising, a-priori, a safe space for the patient, devoid of normative pressures, is impossible before exploring and discovering the effects of these norms on the patient in the analysis. David-Ménard believes that