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Eberhard and Phyllis Kronhausen are psychologists and writers
We both took our undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota, Phyllis receiving her B.A. in Business Administration in 1974 and Eberhard receiving his M.A. in Psychology, the same year.
Immediately afterwards, we moved to New York City. There, Phyllis first enrolled
in the Clinical Psychology program at T.C., Columbia, but shortly afterwards
switched to the more flexible program in “Marriage and Family Life
Education,” which allowed one to take certain courses also at other
NY universities. Eberhard followed suit, and both of us graduated
with Ed.D degrees in that program (Eberhard graduating in 1966 and Phyllis
in 1968).
While pursuing our academic studies at T.C., Columbia, we also enrolled in the study
of psychoanalysis, at The National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis,
founded by Dr. Theodor Reik, to provide for analytic training of non-medical
students.
We moved to San Diego, California, in 1968, where we were both licensed to practice psychotherapy.
In 1969, we
published our book, “Pornography and the Law.” In turned out
to be the first one of a long list of sex-related books, such as, “The
Sexually Responsive Woman,” which carried a foreword by Simone de
Beauvoir; “Walter, the English Casanova,” a psychological discussion
of the then anonymous author of his famous 11-volume sexual autobiography,
“My Secret Life;” and “The Sex People—The erotic performers
and their bold new worlds,” as well as “Erotic Fantasies,” published
in 1979.
In Pornography
and the Law we were the first to show the distinction between frankly
pornographic writings (which follow a certain pattern and format) and
serious but not necessarily less erotic writings, such as the works
of Henry Miller, D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Shatterley’s Lover,”
to mention just two among many other such frankly erotic writings of
obvious artistic merit and not only written for erotic titillation but
for other, serious purposes.
As the result
of these efforts, clearly outlined in our book, Pornography and the
Law, Dr. Phyllis Kronhausen became, in 1960, the first licensed
psychologist ever admitted to testify in a California “obscenity”
case, involving a series of “soft core” erotic writings. Needless
to add, her testimony resulted in an acquittal of the defense, saving
the author and publisher of these truly harmless books many years in
jail.
In other words, we were, during the 1960’s and 1970’s, in the fore-front of the wave of sexual liberation and the breaking down of sexual censorship (in which connection we made the acquaintance of Erica Jong, who had just published her famous semi-autobiographic novel, “Fear of Flying,” and with whom we established a lasting and loving relationship, to this day).
Most importantly,
though, during that phase of our lives we also published, in 1968 and
’69 respectively, Volume I and volume II of “Erotic Art” (Grove
Press). These two volumes of illustrations of erotic art from
different periods of time and different cultures (such as, for instance,
Japan and India, America, and Europe, as well as “primitive Art”
from Africa and the South Sea cultures) constituted the counterpart
in the visual arts to our earlier attempt, in “Pornography and the
Law” to distinguish between, on the one hand, “pornography,” and
what we called “erotic realism.” (represented, for instance, by
the works of Henry Miller and D.H. Laurence’s, “Lady Chatterley’s
Lover,” both of which were then considered “pornographic” or “obscene”
and banned from sale, in the U.S.).
Another large
breakthrough against censorship and for the recognition of fine erotic
art, were our first exhibitions of erotic fine art in several, large
public, Scandinavian museums, from ca. 1968-1970, and in a private Museum
of Erotic Art, in San Francisco, from 1971 to 1973.
We also arranged
for the importation by Grove Press of the first frankly erotic Swedish
film of indisputable artistic merit, “I am Curious Yellow.”
This, in turn, prepared the way—for better or for worse, depending
on one’s point of view—for the public showing of other, frankly
erotic, as well as outright pornographic films (as, e.g., “Deep Throat”
and “The Devil in Miss Jones,” to mention just two of the best known
of these frankly pornographic movies).
From the late
1970’s on, though, we became more interested in the so-called “spiritual”
aspects of Life. Happening to live, at the time, mostly in California,
we had the privilege of benefiting firsthand from several of the public
teachings of the Indian-born, spiritual philosopher and educator, J.
Krishnamurti, at his American headquarters, in Ojai, California.
Later on, we continued to deepen our understanding of his teachings by spending, literally, hundreds of hours, immersing ourselves into his teachings, in India and other parts of the world, by studying the large video library of his talks, at the K-Foundation’s headquarters, in Ojai.
Still later
on, we became deeply involved in Buddhist philosophy and psychology,
especially as it applies to the practice of psychotherapy. The
result of these studies is our latest book, Staying Sane in a Crazy
World (sold only by Amazon.com and BookSurge, a subsidiary of Amazon
(2008).
We are currently
working on our joint Memoir, which will trace our psychological development
from “sexperts” to the teachings of Krishnamurti, the Buddha, and
the Dalai Lama. We are especially interested in showing how sexual
happiness need not be contrary to spiritual enlightenment but may in
fact, be part of the general happiness, which the Dalai Lama has repeatedly
declared to be “the purpose of our life.”
Naturally,
our latest book, Staying Sane in a Crazy World, attempts to apply
our more recently acquired, spiritual insights to history, politics,
and above all to our own profession, psychotherapy.
See also [ Phillis and Eberhard Kronhausen ]
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