Vekquin - The Fetish Analyst™ vekquin.com Home The Foundation of Analysis My Theoretical Framework Your Personal Analysis Payments My Articles News Contact . . . . the fetish analyst Welcome to my website... I'm Vekquin (my name is of Nordic-Celtic origin, pronounced with a hard 'k' and no emphasis on either syllable). I'm called The Fetish Analyst because I analyze perversions, fixations, obsessions, compulsions, addictions, and especially fetishes, the main focus of my work. This website was designed to be very easy to use; all of the essential information is on this main page. Most of your questions should be answered by reading the three major sections below. If you still have questions, you may find the answers in some of my articles, and if not, then feel free to contact me!  The Foundation of Analysis This section outlines the history of philosophical psychology, compares it to clinical psychology, and gives links for further reading. The Foundation of Analysis  My Theoretical Framework This section introduces the philosophical framework that I use and explains how I developed my theory on fetishism using strictly empirical research. My Theoretical Framework  Your Personal Fetish Analysis This section describes the process of analysis and what to expect: phases, time length, cost, in-person vs. telephone discussions, my ethics. Your Personal Fetish Analysis Need to reach me? My contact form is just a click away » If you are looking for something specific, try searching my entire website:  The foundation of all concepts of analysis is based in philosophy, the mother of all disciplines. 'Analysis' simply means to look very closely or very deeply at something, in an attempt to understand it. 'Psychoanalysis' means to look very closely at the patterns within the unconscious aspect of the human psyche -- some call this aspect 'the soul' -- in order to understand what lies hidden therein. Psychoanalysis is often conducted by psychiatrists, especially in the US (the most medicalized nation on earth) and is called 'psychodynamic psychotherapy' when conducted by psychologists. The word 'psyche' means soul in ancient Greek, and is why psychoanalysts are sometimes called 'soul-doctors'. Priests, psychiatrists, and psychologists are the Western version of the voudou witch doctors, Obeah priests, shamans, etc., that are found in non-industrialized pagan societies. 'Psychoanalysis' and 'analysis' as used in philosophy and psychology, are neutral terms that refer to various, often oppositional, schools of thought that claim to have discovered some of the deeper aspects of human nature and some methods that may be used to alleviate confusion and suffering in life. Some people think that the term 'psychoanalysis' is used only to describe Sigmund Freud's theory and no others, but that is incorrect; the term is neutral, and refers to any theory and practice that focuses on reading the unconscious patterns of the psyche in order to discover the laws of human nature.'Existential Analysis' is a term that I sometimes use to describe my work, which, like psychoanalysis, also studies the irrational aspects of human behavior, thought, fantasy, dream, and passion, in order to discover what has been left unresolved, unfinished, and unexpressed. The difference between psychoanalysis and existential analysis is that the former uses theories from clinical psychology, taking a mechanistic view of human nature, while the latter uses theories from philosophy, taking a phenomenological, holistic view of human nature. Existential analysts rely on the works of ancient philosophers such as the Pyrrhonean and Academic Skeptics, the Stoics, especially Seneca, as well as the canon of existential philosophers and their precursors, such as Hume, Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus as the theoretical foundation for psychoanalytic work. The pre-Socratic Greek philosophers and the Roman Stoics poetically described human nature as being 'hidden in an abyss'. This is what Nietzsche referred to when he said "he who gazes into the abyss, finds that the abyss gazes back", meaning that we can understand the depths of human nature to a significant degree if we learn how to engage in dialog with, rather than fear, the deep and mysterious parts of ourselves. Ancient philosophers described the secrets (laws) of nature, including human nature, as being shrouded behind a veil which humans lack the capacity to lift, though we can catch magnificent glimpses of the abysmal complexity of nature if we look very closely. The idea of beckoning nature to show mankind some of her guarded secrets was lost with the fall of Greek empire and the rise of the Roman empire. Thereafter, the approach to nature, propagated by theologians, was to rip the veil from nature, exploit and subjugate her to the selfish demands of mankind. This amazing historical turn on views of nature is exquisitely well-documented by eminent historian Pierre Hadot, in his book "The Veil of Isis" (listed below in my recommended books section). Modern clinical psychology conforms to the idea that human nature can be known in its entirely, manipulated and controlled, by ripping the shroud away through clinical experimentation. It is a violent, misguided, egotistical view, and it fails miserably. Even with such force and subjugation, clinical psychologists still fail in vast numbers to help people heal and transcend their emotional problems. In its early days of the 19th century, the aim in clinical psychology was to ameliorate or vanquish emotional problems, but as decades passed, with the collection of insurmountable failures, they gave up their original quest, and settled on the idea of controlling human behavior as the purpose of their quest, calling it 'psychological treatment'. Clinical psychology deems a therapy or treatment 'successful' if it succeeds in controlling aberrant behavior, by making people 'good citizens' and 'functionable' in society. This is an immature approach because control is not equivalent to transcendence, and without the ability to transcend emotional disturbances, people are no more than slaves to their passions, because control always breaks down in time. Clinical psychology, in its adolescence, lacks the wisdom that philosophy has slowly built over thousands of years. Philosophers, though few in number compared to the number of clinicians working in the field of psychology, are as old as history itself. Thousands of years before the study of human nature became medicalized in the 19th century, psychoanalytic philosophers were busy studying and writing about the ontological aspects of life. Ontology -- the study of being by virtue of being in itself -- became a formal study in the metaphysics of Aristotle and the Upanishads. By studying being on its most fundamental level, these philosophers were able to catch glimpses of the laws of nature out of which humans operate, and how violations of these laws result in emotional suffering, blocks in natural growth, and even physical illness leading to death. Once the laws of human nature are discovered by philosophers, they are then placed into a greater system of thought that encompasses all of life, not just human life, which is called a metaphysic. Most of the philosophers considered to be 'the greatest' in history, created various metaphysics, theories on how everything fits together and what holds it together. Metaphysics is the study of the underlying, invisible forces or laws that dictate the movements not only of the cosmos, but also of the human heart and soul, and is where the alchemical law 'as above, so below' originates. When focusing on the nature of the human, ontology is the study of the inner-most aspect of human nature, the patterns and unstoppable tendencies therein, in order to learn how to integrate rather than deny emotional disturbances. Integration begins with analysis, making psychoanalytic work the beginning of the process of profound personal transformation.  The approach that I take to the study of fetishism is philosophical rather than medical. This means that I view the tendency for humans to cultivate objects with symbolic value, which they bring into ritualistic practices, as a completely natural phenomenon rather than a pathology. In fact, not only is fetishism 'normal' (i.e. common) in my view, but I also think that humans cannot possibly live without fetishes. This does not mean that everyone has some kind of sexual perversion because not all fetishes are sexual in nature. In my experience I have found that most fetishes are non-sexual, and I have found that the more intelligent and complex a person is, the more complex and multi-faceted that person's fetishes are as well. Average, simple people (i.e. the vulgar masses) have fewer and less interesting fetishes than do highly intelligent, eccentric, creative and sensitive people, but in all cases, vulgar and sophisticated alike, fetishes are used either consciously or unconsciously in an attempt to move into, through, and beyond emotional disturbances and blockades to personal growth. Everywhere that we look, we find that the natural human phenomenon of fetish ritualism is found on all levels of society; the refined and the vulgar both need fetishes to accomplish their deeply personal agendas in life. We can measure the level of sophistication of individuals and of societies by looking at their fetishes and fetish ritual performances. The form of fetish taken by the average person is usually fairly straight-forward and uncomplex, while fetish forms taken by the more intelligent, complex personalities are vastly more intricate and are usually meant to serve more than one purpose simultaneously. As a fetish analyst, clearly I am biased towards complex fetishes because they are more interesting and challenging for me to analyze, but I also enjoy helping persons with common fetishes to recognize the psychodynamic reasons for the existence and persistence of object-oriented relationships in fantasy, thought, and behavior. The best categorizations for my work seem to be 'existential analysis', 'psychoanalysis', and 'applied philosophy', because the basis of my work is the study of the patterns of the unconscious mind, especially such patterns that manifest in repetitive, uncontrollable behaviors. 'Philosophy practitioner' is probably the most neutral description of my work, and is the term I use most often, but it is still too vague to be completely accurate, because it implies that I am concerned mostly with ethical dilemmas, when actually I view ethical dilemmas as superficial, negligible distractions, that when focused on, distract us away from the deeper, more real aspects of human nature that are transcendent of ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas are the result of social and religious conditioning, and are easily resolvable when we operate out of a heightened state of consciousness. The purpose of psychoanalytic work of any type is to simultaneously raise and deepen consciousness (i.e. expand consciousness and self-awareness) which is equivalent to increasing personal power and clarity, necessary for breaking out of destructive, self-defeating, or time-wasting habits. I have a degree in philosophy and psychology (I did my studies in philosophy at University of Texas at Austin and my studies in psychology at Evergreen State College of Washington), a federal clinical credential as an addiction specialist (9 months of additional training), and I'm a registered counselor in the state of Washington (#60001955). These credentials only prove that I can read, write essays, and take tests like everyone else with a degree in psychology. The truth that is overlooked by academics is that it is not possible to understand a phenomenon by reading about it in books and listening to inexperienced professors discuss it in classrooms. The only way to really understand something is by immersing oneself in it completely and for a prolonged period with an open mind unpolluted by clinical, scholastic, and religious agendas. A heart of untainted, egoless intentions is also necessary in order to allow the phenomenological aspects of human nature to speak for themselves. The most useful thing I learned in college was how to coherently discuss the discoveries that I made through my own life experience.The theoretical framework that I use as a behavior analyst was self-created, based entirely on several years of strictly empirical research. I have never found any theories in clinical psychology that really understand fetishism, and so I have discarded them all, and use my own theory instead, which is a kind of resurrection of the philosophy of human nature, a study that has been nearly lost in the modern world (see the writings of Robert M. Young for extensive discussion on this topic). My theory is in constant development, now extending beyond individuals into sub-cultures, cultures, and whole societies. My theory and application is what might be called 'contemporary' though really my work is more a resurrection of lost ancient knowledge than a creation of new ideas. The first three years of my work (1999-2002) I did within a research capacity (for free). I talked with several hundred people about their sexual fetishes, fixations, obsessions, perversions, addictions, etc. I did not use any existing theory to interpret the data that I was given; I allowed the information to just remain unexplained, and over the years I saw the same threads appear so many times that I began to wonder if there was some underlying, unspoken, unknown reason why so many people in the world have so many different manifestations of sexual abberations. Eventually I began to form faint hypotheses to explain the patterns, then I went about testing and refining the hypotheses, until finally I formed my own theory on fetishism. At that point, in 2002, I ended my research study and began working formally (for hire) as a fetish analyst. By now, I have analyzed over 500 fetishes, obsessions, fixations, and perversions, and with each new analysis, my theory and my analytic skill is further developed. So, essentially I kind of fell into doing psychoanalysis by accident, I did not plan it, but found that I loved it so much that I decided to pursue as a career (with future plans to do master's and doctorate studies in contemporary theories and methods of depth psychology). In the past couple of years I have been searching for philosophers from past centuries who already had the same thoughts that I recently developed, and to my delight, I've found some past philosophers with whom I share much thought in common. My future work at the doctorate level will be to explain how I apply to fetish psychology the timeless wisdom found in the philosophy of human nature, for the purpose of helping persons to resolve the emotional and existential disturbances that manifest as a various types of repetitive, uncontrollable behaviors.My experience in dealing with "the dark side" of human nature extends beyond my years of working as a fetish analyst. I have lived in the underground segments of North American society all my life, which no doubt has helped me to remain neutral in the face of extreme human thought and behavior. Ten solid years of my life in the underground were spent working in the sex industry (five years as an exotic dancer in Miami, San Francisco, and Texas; and another five years as a dominant psychodramatist in Seattle; something similar to a professional dominatrix but more theatrical and psychologically intensive, and less reliant on the sexual and erotic elements to create intensity).  Analysis is designed to uncover the reasons for the existence and persistence of fetishes, perversions, obsessions, compulsions, fixations, and addictions. This does not mean that the exact origins are always uncovered, sometimes they are, but that is not the focus of analysis, because it is not necessary to discover the origin of a fetish in order to discover why it exists and persists. To put it simply, knowing why you have a fetish is different from knowing whence it came. By studying the intricate patterns of dreams, fantasies, visions, thoughts, and behaviors, I read the symbolic language of the unconscious, which reveals what is being attempted on an unconscious level through uncontrollable repetitions of fantasy, thought, and behavior. The transformative power of analysis lies in the fact that it is necessary to discover what is being attempted unconsciously in order to carry out the process on a conscious level but in a different, successful form, so that the conscious and unconscious wills are in working alignment, rather than at battle.People who have a capacity for insight usually need to know why they do whatever it is that they do that is causing a problem or a disturbance, before they are ready to do something about the problem or disturbance. This is why behavioral therapies don't work very well on people with a high-level of insight capacity, because behavioral therapies were designed for people who either have no capacity for insight or no interest in gaining insight. Personal insight is the foundation of personal power, and the process of increasing personal power is sometimes scary to those who are not ready. When we become more powerful, we no longer allow things and people to drag us down or hold us back from moving towards reaching our full potential in life, and this often results in making drastic changes in life, which very few people have the courage and strength to do. I have found over the years that those who benefit the most from analytic work are those who have already been through the gamut of various types of non-analytic behavior-oriented types of psychotherapies, and found that behavioral psychology fails to provide guidance for personal growth on a fundamental level because its focus is on controlling behavior rather than on awakening the innate power to make personal transformations, breakthroughs that are not about controlling behavior, but about transcending a behavior entirely so that it no longer needs to be kept under control because it no longer exists at all.There are three phases in a basic analysis which are completed within a total of 4 - 12 hours depending on the complexity of the situation under analysis, the history, the depth of content, and the ability of the analysand to articulate the subtleties involved in the situation. The first phase, information gathering, requires 2 - 4 hours. The second phase, analysis, requires 1 - 3 hours. The third phase, discussion and clarification of analytic conclusions, requires 1 - 5 hours. Further analysis occurs by going deeper into the conclusions drawn through the basic analysis and by repeating the process when new and significant information arises. A completed basic analysis may easily proceed into intermediate and advanced levels of analysis for those who desire to go beyond the discoveries made through the initial process.The cost for the first phase of the analysis process is $50 per hour, The second, third, and subsequent phases are $100 per hour. Discussions can be done in-person at my office in downtown Tacoma, Washington, by telephone, or through Skype. In-person discussions are preferable because so much communication occurs in non-verbal forms, but this option is unavailable to most people, and so I have designed a method of doing analysis by telephone or internet.Unlike classic psychoanalysis, my modern form of analysis can be done on a short-term basis and is efficacious within only a few hours for three reasons: I use an entirely different theory than the classic analysts, I do as much work as the person I am analyzing, and I specialize in the analysis of one single thing: repetitive, uncontrollable behaviors. I do not analyze all aspects of each person's life, though I do encourage a continuation of analytic work through self-analysis that can be done without the help of a professional once the skill is learned through a formal analysis. In my opinion, a psychoanalytic relationship should be done on equal terms, with both parties putting in the same amount of work. My form of analysis was designed to be short-term, and the theory that I use to interpret the data I gather is relatively easy for any intelligent person to comprehend because I do not use clinical jargon which obfuscates rather than clarifies thought.One of the main differences between my work and the work of clinicians is the fact that because I am a solitary practitioner working in the field of philosophy rather than the field of psychology, I have the freedom to create my own code of ethics rather than being forced to abide by the code of ethics that clinicians use. My code of ethics is higher than any code of ethics practiced by any clinical practitioner. The following are examples of what I am able to offer my clients above and beyond what clinicians are able to offer because they are bound to rules of practice that don't apply to philosophy practitioners: I offer my work with a money-back guarantee: If you don't feel like I helped you by the end of the basic analysis process, I will give you your money back. I believe that this should be a legal requirement for all professionals working in all fields, because it is a good way to help protect the public from incompetent practitioners. I operate out of a policy that I call 'absolute anonymity', which means that I don't need to know any personal identifying information about my clients. The usual information gathered by clinicians, such as name, address, social security number, employment information, etc., are all completely irrelevant to me. I regard such information as highly personal and unnecessary to do my job. I don't even need to know what kind of work a client does in order to carry out a behavior analysis (however, this information often does come up during the analytic process, but is not recorded anywhere by me). When I take case notes, I assign the client a file number which is the only tracking information that is kept in my hand-written files. I offer my clients a copy of my notes (which I transcribe from my hand-written notes with illegible short-hand for a $50 fee) because I don't collect any information that is meant to be kept secret between me and some authority such as an insurance benefit provider or governmental agency. I strongly believe that the government and private corporations should stay out of the personal business of individuals. I am a firm-believer in the original Constitution written by our founding fathers who were children of the Enlightenment, one of the greatest periods of history with some of most magnificent ideas on freedom that I believe should be preserved for as long as possible. In summary, analysis is meant to give profound insight on the reasons for the existence and persistence of any kind of repetitive, uncontrollable behavior. Under ideal conditions, analysis is carried out once a week in-person for two hours in each sitting, for a duration of at least one year. Analysis can also be done on a short-term basis, but the disadvantage of short-term analysis is that the profound discoveries made sometimes do not go beyond abstractions because they are found in a rushed manner without adequate time for reflection and subsequent changes in behavioral patterns. Acquiescence in the intellectual comprehension of a discovery is not the same as cultivating a 'knowing' that begins intellectually, but over time sinks deeper and deeper into the whole being. Only when personal discoveries reach these depths do they have ontologically transformative power, because the impetus for growth is awoken, and can then be cultivated into a conscious awareness, which is necessary in order to make well-grounded decisions and take well-executed actions in life. Though not ideal, short-term analysis is still very useful to alleviate confusion, strengthen the will, and to plant a seed for personal integration and maturation that may be cultivated later when time permits. Some of my articles A few of these link to other websites 20080609 Vekquin Substance Abuse Understood as Perversion read » 20070317 Vekquin Common Misunderstandings of Fetishism read » 20071118 Vekquin Heraclitus of Ephesus, 500 BCE read » articles index articles index A list of my articles read » RSS: Vekquin's Blog Books  Buy now from Amazon »  Buy now from Amazon » See a list of books that I recommend » Articles by other philosophers: Young & Brook, Schopenhauer & Freud Thomas Szasz, Disease Inflation Richard Rubens, The Tragic Sense of Life Steve Mizrachs, Modern Primitives Send me an e-mail here: I will reply to your mail within 12 - 24 hours unless I'm traveling without computer access. (See my news/blog page for travel news.) If you don't want to write sensitive information in the public e-mail form, you have the option of using the e-mail form in the public secure section that goes directly to my server without traveling through the internet. If you are a client, please use the client secure section (login using the client number and password that I gave you in-person or by telephone). Other options for contacting me include using Skype, Google Talk, or by telephone. If you live outside the US, I recommend using Jajah to call me for 2 or 3 cents per minute (it is very easy to use). For a complete list of ways to contact me, see my contact page. I welcome questions and am usually able to answer them faster by e-mail than by any other means, so if you are comfortable with e-mail, don't hesitate to send your questions! 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