Desire in psychoanalytic psychotherapy: the writings of W.R. Bion

This paper considers the place of desire in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, by undertaking a close reading of some of Wilfred Bion's writings on the subject. Focusing on his dictum that therapists should enter their consulting rooms without desire, this paper provides an overview of why Bion believes that the therapist's foregoing of desire is conducive to psychoanalytic work. This paper outlines his preference for primary ignorance, negative capability and acts of faith to facilitate the therapist experiencing what is going on in the here and now as fully as possible. This paper argues that Bion's concept of the caesura is useful for thinking about how the transition from being with desire to being without desire might take place for the therapist