A review of: “R.D. Laing: A divided self”

John Clay (1996) R.D. Laing: A Divided Self, London: Hodder & Stoughton, pp. 308, $20.00 (hb), $7.99 (pb)     

Hertzmann,Leezah & Newbigin,Juliet (Eds.). Sexuality and Gender Now: Moving Beyond Heteronormativity. The Tavistock Clinic Series. London: Routledge. 2019. Pp. 358. Pbk. £29.99.

In this paper the author argues that trans-identification and its associated medical treatment can constitute an attempt to evade experiences of psychological distress. This occurs on three levels. Firstly, the trans person themselves may seek to evade dysregulated affects associated with such experiences as attachment trauma, childhood abuse, and ego-alien sexual feelings. Secondly, therapists may attempt to evade feelings, such as fear and hatred, evoked by engaging with these dysregulated affects. Thirdly, we, as a society, may wish to evade acknowledging the reality of such trauma, abuse and sexual distress by hypothesizing that trans-identification is a biological issue, best treated medically. The author argues that the quality of evidence supporting the biomedical approach is extremely poor. This puts young trans people at risk of receiving potentially damaging medical treatment they may later seek to reverse or come to regret, while their underlying psychological issues remain unaddressed.