Penile trauma and genital exhibitionism: from castration anxiety to verbal potency

In this clinical report, the author describes the case of an eighteen-year-old, intellectually disabled man who committed multiple acts of genital exhibitionism. The patient attended psychoanalytically orientated psychotherapy for a period of fourteen months, during which time he revealed an important traumatic experience, which he had never verbalised previously. This confession helped both parties to develop a much clearer understanding of the origin of the symptomatic enactment. The author discusses the ways in which the verbal inhibitions of disabled patients often render such individuals more susceptible to criminal offences, and he underscores that psychotherapy, specifically forensic disability psychotherapy, provides an opportunity to work through prior traumata and thus contribute to the prevention of future illegal activities.