Homosexuality as an issue in the psychoanalytic treatment of Lubavitch Chassidim

There is sparse literature on the psychoanalytic treatment of Chassidic Jews. The authors of this article, both secular nonobservant psychoanalysts, have spent over a decade working with Lubavitch Chassidim in the New York area. In the Lubavitch community, the sexes are separated at three years of age, leading to same-sex cohorts from then until marriage. As with all ultra-orthodox religious groups, homosexuality is viewed in Biblical terms as an abomination and yet, not surprisingly, it exists within this community. This article deals with the analysis of homosexual issues that appear in the treatment of both male and female Lubavitch Chassidim. We discuss how homosexuality is manifested, how it is viewed, denied, and rationalized, and the functions it serves in a subculture that is inherently homocentric. The need for parameters in classical technique is discussed as a necessity for successful psychoanalytic work with this population.