ABSTRACT
Intimate relationships are based on trust and caring. Intimacy and reading minds go hand-in-hand. Intimate relationships can bring great joy but they can also bring great torment. Intimate relationships bear the weight of unconscious wishes that can never be completely fulfilled. Charisma, like most human qualities, comes in a wide range of intensities. Charismatic leaders are emotional knowers who read others quickly and accurately. Charisma is the one exception to the rule that mind reading involves a relationship; it can be accurately sensed with a glance. Powerful leaders came to therapy as a concession to a spouse or a lover who wanted more from the relationship. Sometimes a negative transference may prevent potential friends from ever breaking the ice. Negative mind reading never helps resolve problems between friends or brings them closer. When someone is feeling vulnerable, even the mildest everyday form of mind reading, like noticing he is upset, can feel like an attack.
