This pioneering work introduces the concept of psychoanalytic ophthalmology with chapters from Salman Akhtar, Suzanne Benser, Cemile Serin Gürdal, Richard K. Hertel, Alan Michael Karbelnig, Nilofer Kaul, Toni Mandelbaum, Anneliese Riess, Nina Savelle-Rocklin, Brian Watermeyer, and Thomas Wolman.
Eyes play a role in a number of diverse psychopathologies, including hallucinations, blindness, voyeurism, and the feeling of being invisible or, conversely, under constant surveillance. Yet, vision is more than mere physical sight. There exist cultural notions, such as the "evil eye" and the mythic self-blinding of Oedipus, and the actions of seeing, looking, and watching (and the passive being seen, being looked at, being watched) play a huge part in childhood psychological development and adult psychosocial functioning. Our ocular experience begins with the maternal gaze and the eye-to-eye contact of mother and infant, which moves on to the ubiquitous "peek-a-boo" game, young children shouting "look at me!", adolescents torn between wanting to be seen and to be invisible, the locked eyes of adult lovers, and so much more. Eyes can express respect or contempt, love or hate; they are called the windows to the soul. This collection of inspiring papers brings a much-needed focus on their varied and multi-layered role in our physical and mental lives and their continuing and overlooked importance in psychoanalytic theory and practice. This enjoyable book is ideal reading for academics and clinicians.
Nina Savelle-Rocklin is a psychoanalyst, author, and podcast host. She is the author of Food for Thought: Perspectives on Eating Disorders (Rowman & Littlefield) and co-editor (with Salman Akhtar) of Beyond the Primal Addiction (Karnac Books) and Food Matters: A Biopsychosocial Approach (Karnac Books). She also wrote The Binge Cure: 7 Steps to Outsmart Emotional Eating and its companion workbook, The Binge Cure Journal, as well as Beyond Binge Eating: 100 Powerful Reflections to Transform Your Relationship with Food. Dr. Savelle-Rocklin contributed chapters in four scholarly books, including her chapter "The origins and fundamentals of psychoanalysis" (in Freud & The Buddha), and wrote more than fifty articles on disordered eating for publications such as Psyche Online and Psychology Today, the National Eating Disorders Association, Eating Disorder Hope, and other national and international organizations and publications. Her media appearances include being a featured guest on "The Dr. Drew Podcast" and more than twenty radio shows and podcasts worldwide. Her radio program, "The Dr. Nina Show," on L.A. Talk Radio aired for more than six years and can now be heard as a podcast. Her other podcasts include "The Forking Truth," "Mind Matters," and "The Binge Cure with Dr. Nina." Dr. Savelle-Rocklin is also on the board of Rose City Center, a psychoanalytically informed flexible fee counseling and training center, where she is the director of the Development Committee.
