The Fantasy Bond

Based on 28 years of research into the problem of resistance, this book offers a consistently developed set of hypotheses centering around the concept of the “fantasy bond,” an illusion of connection originally formed with the mother and later with significant others in the individual’s environment. The book develops the concept of the core defense of the “fantasy bond” and describes the structure and organization of the overall defensive process. The ideas set forth in this work constitute an important link between neo-psychoanalytic thought and existential views, especially those relating to individual and collective defenses against death anxiety.

Based on 28 years of research into the problem of resistance, this book offers a consistently developed set of hypotheses centering around the concept of the “fantasy bond,” an illusion of connection originally formed with the mother and later with significant others in the individual’s environment. The book develops the concept of the core defense of the “fantasy bond” and describes the structure and organization of the overall defensive process. The ideas set forth in this work constitute an important link between neo-psychoanalytic thought and existential views, especially those relating to individual and collective defenses against death anxiety.

Robert W. Firestone Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author and artist, who has established a comprehensive body of written work and film focused on understanding how defenses are formed and how they impact human behavior and personal relationships. The primary emphasis of Dr. Firestone’s theory has centered on the study of resistance in psychotherapy. From his initial work as a psychotherapist with schizophrenic patients under the auspices of Dr. John N. Rosen, Dr. Firestone summarized his conceptualizations about schizophrenia in a theoretical dissertation entitled “A Concept of the Schizophrenic Process,” (University of Denver Doctoral Dissertation, 1957). Dr. Firestone was engaged in the private practice of psychotherapy from 1957 to 1979 working with a wide range of patients, expanding his original ideas on schizophrenia, and applying these concepts to a theory of neurosis. In 1979, he joined the Glendon Association as its consulting theorist. Dr. Firestone’s major publications include The Fantasy Bond, Compassionate Child-Rearing, Fear of Intimacy, and Beyond Death Anxiety: Life-Affirming Death Awareness. Dr. Firestone’s studies of negative thought processes led to the development of an innovative therapeutic methodology described in Voice Therapy, Suicide and the Inner Voice, Combating Destructive Thought Processes, Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion: The Wisdom of Psychotherapy, Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships, The Ethics of Interpersonal Relationships, and most recently The Self under Siege. In collaboration with his daughter, Dr. Lisa Firestone, he has developed three assessment instruments: The Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts [FAST], The Firestone Assessment of Suicide Intent [FASI] (2006) and the Firestone Assessment of Violent Thoughts [FAVT] (2008) (Adult and Adolescent versions (2009, Psychological Assessment Resources, PAR).