Education, Research and Practice of Gay Individuation and the Fostering of Homosexual Subjectivity
Uranian Library
Selected Writings on Uranian Psychoanalysis, Gay-Centered Psychology, and Related Topics
Mitch Walker
Institute for Uranian Psychoanalysis
Gay Spirituality
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Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning, Mark Thompson, Ed.
The first and still the best single anthology on the subject, including material about Walt Whitman, Edward Carpenter, Harry Hay, Mitch Walker, etc.
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Gay Soul : Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature., Mark Thompson, Ed.
The interview with Mitch Walker is particularly relevant.
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The Soul Beneath the Skin, David Nimmons
This book is really more sociology than spirituality, but it’s written in an enjoyable and
accessible way and does a nice job of describing the laudable attributes of modern gay
men, with some research to support his ideas.
Gay History / Literature
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Homosexuality & Civilization, Louis Crompton
This is a carefully researched and documented exploration of homosexuality from
Ancient Greece up to the 19th century, covering horrible homophobia as well as
wonderful love, including some coverage of Asian cultures. A little dry and dense, but if
you like history, it’s the classic on the subject.
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Strangers: Homosexual Love in the Nineteenth Century, Graham Robb
A good companion to the Crompton book, covering mostly 19th century in England and
the U.S. Like the above, carefully researched but a little bit more fun to read.
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Myth and Mysteries of Same-Sex Love, Christine Downing
This unique book could be in both the gay psychology and Jungian psychology sections
below. A very nicely written exploration of gayness in Freud, Jung, and ancient Greek
mythology.
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The Columbia Anthology of Gay Literature, Byrne R. S. Fone, Ed.
A wonderful collection of homoerotic poetry and prose through the ages, with helpful
introductions to the major writers.
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Symposium, Plato
The story of a drunken party where the Greek men all pontificate on love, focusing
mostly on same-sex romantic love. It’s quite entertaining, with amazing insights we
haven’t caught up with yet.
Gay Psychology
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The Velvet Rage, Alan Downs
Written by a gay therapist in Santa Fe, does a nice job of discussing gay male psychology.
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Men’s Dreams, Men’s Healing, Robert Hopcke
A good introduction to a gay Jungian approach.
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Same-Sex Love and the Path to Wholeness, Robert Hopcke et al, Ed.
From a Jungian perspective, the only anthology so far that is devoted in a positive way to
gay love. A series of essays, some better than others, but all have their heart in the right
place. You might want to read some of the basic Jungian stuff below before reading this.
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Being Homosexual, Richard Isay
A psychoanalyst describing his theory in accessible terms about how sons fall in love
with their fathers during the oedipal phase (4-6 years old), and the effects when the father
does not handle this well.
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Becoming Gay, Richard Isay
Same author as above, a more personal discussion of his efforts to bring a gay-affirmative
approach into psychoanalysis, and how homophobic the field was until recently.
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Assaults to the Self: The Trauma of Growing Up Gay, Blum and Van Pfetzing
Jungian Psychology
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Memories, Dreams, Reflections, C.G. Jung
Jung’s autobiography, by far his most accessible work, providing a very interesting introduction to his ideas and how they developed.
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Man and His Symbols, C.G. Jung
Man and His Symbols is the last work undertaken by Carl Jung before his death in 1961.
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Ego and Archetype, Edward Edinger
A fascinating, classic introduction to Jungian psychology. A lot of Christian and literary references.
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Inner Work, Robert Johnson
A very basic, clearly written how-to book on dream analysis and “active imagination.”
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The Inner World of Trauma, Donald Kalsched
A much more clinical, involved discussion of the “persecutor/protector complex” that
people who’ve had trauma develop, with references to fairy tales and psychoanalytic
ideas. For the most part, well written, though you might find it a little dense with multiple
references to different theories.
General Psychology
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Healing the Shame That Binds You, John Bradshaw
The book that defined “toxic shame,” and offers good summaries of many psychological
ideas, as well as practical techniques for inner work.
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Freud and Beyond, Stephen Mitchell and Margaret Black
This is a unique book that elegantly describes all the major psychoanalytic theorists in a
concise and clear manner. May be very helpful in getting a better understanding of early
childhood dynamics with your mother especially, but father also.
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Self-Agency in Psychotherapy: Attachment, Autonomy, and Intimacy, Jean Knox
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The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origings of Human Emotions, Jaak Panksepp
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The Healing Power of Emotion, Diana Fosha