METAFICTION | PSYCHOANALYSIS | LGBTQ | 1930s
Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Neurosis
Turning Point: Summary of Chapters 21–24 from “Secrets of the Velvet Trap”
In 1930s Chicago, a troubled psychoanalyst and her tormented young patient pursue an unethical affair. In the shadows of an underground fetish club, their dark eroticism exposes the raw edges of desire.
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Prefatory Remarks
Miss E.’s case, although still developing, illustrates the intricate dynamics of control, seduction, and repression that form the bedrock of neurosis. This account, which spans pivotal sessions in December 1935, delves into her emotional life and how it intertwines with her compulsive tendencies.
The Patient
Miss E. presents as an articulate, self-possessed woman, but beneath this exterior lies a psyche fraught with contradictions. Raised in a devout Catholic household, she harbors a profound ambivalence toward authority: reverence mixed with rebellion.
In a notable session, she recounted a dream in which she was late for work after taking the wrong streetcar and ending up at my home. Her editor dismissed her…
