He acknowledges that his approach has been contested, but he claims not to confuse medieval and contemporary mentalities, admitting, moreover, that "the abysses of the human psyche remain unfathomable and (...) Gilles de Rais has definitely taken his secret to the grave". Furthermore, Claude Gauvard states that "the historian is not (...) a psychoanalyst, even if the teachings of psychoanalysis can help him to understand the content of confessions and their share of psychotic delirium."
Despite criticism, he maintains that he doesn't confuse medieval and modern thought. He also claims to have no interest in dissecting the human psyche, stating that "the depths of the human psyche remain unfathomable" and that Gilles de Rais has kept his secrets buried.  Claude Gauvard argues that historians are not psychoanalysts, even though psychoanalysis can help them understand confessions and their potential for psychosis.