Sexual fantasies, violence fantasies, and transference phenomena patients with a history of sexual abuse. An empirical study of psychoanalytic case reports

From 276 treatment records of patients who were undergoing high-frequent ou tpatient individual psychoanalytic therapy, we selected 30 female with and without a history of severe sexual abuse - and in an equal manner 15 male p atients. They were analysed with respect to quality and intensity of sexual fantasies,violence fantasies and transference phenomena. A qualitative met hod of investigation aiming at quantifiability as well was applied. Patient s with a history of sexual abuse had increased violence phantasies independ ent of the patients and the therapists gender. Nearly all reports of fear o f being sexually abused came from sexually abused female patients having a male therapist. The other transference phenomena seemed to be unrelated to a history of sexual abuse. The findings, although based on this highly sele cted sample of patients, seem to make further investigation worthwhile and could considerably contribute to modify the techniques of treatment of pati ents with histories of sexual abuse within and beyond the scope of the clas sical setting.