The author believes the discovery of psychoanalysis cannot be separated from Freud's self-analysis and the foundational act of writing about his own dreams. Now that the hype, the 100 years of excitement and building up of the institution of psychoanalysis, is in decline, the time seems ripe for a return to the question of the truth of the discovery of the unconscious. This book seeks to take up this crisis and return psychoanalysis to a discourse relevant to contemporary thought as a more personal story of what it means to become a psychoanalyst. The work is divided into three sections, each organized around a major thinker whose work is defined by a definitive engagement with psychoanalysis: Adorno, Lacan and Badiou. Each section is marked by a careful reading of these thinkers, attempting to deconstruct their understanding of psychoanalysis, including how this work has shaped the author's identity as a psychoanalyst.

Jamieson Webster introduces reader time and again to the moment that inaugurates desire, including the desire for psychoanalysis. She recapitulates the major philosophical questions implied by psychoanalytic practice and shows what captures readers' attention, and what remains enigmatic.