Have We Lost Our Love of Psychoanalysis? A Talk with Ilene Philipson, PhD

Saturday, November 7th, 4:00-6:00 p.m. 3600 American River Dr., Sacramento

The history of psychoanalysis is riven with interpersonal and inter-institutional conflicts, from Freud's infamous break with Jung to the "controversial discussions" between Anna Freud and Melanie Klein, and the excommunication of Jacques Lacan from the IPA. It seems almost no School or Psychoanalytic Institute is immune from conflict among members, and often these conflicts culminate in a failure to reconcile, which leads to a breakdown in the organization's ability to function. Professionals engaged in the talking cure stop talking with one another altogether. In her recent paper "Have We Lost Our Love of Psychoanalysis?" Ilene Philipson explores how the recent turn toward social activism among some psychoanalysts may have brought new relevance to the profession, but has also brought conflict and led to the loss of its core values. (This paper is part of an edited collection under the same title due out next year from Routledge.) She'll read from her paper and facilitate a discussion on conflict among analysts.

Ilene Philipson holds doctorates in sociology, clinical psychology, and psychoanalysis.  She is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, a Supervising Analyst at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, and is in the private practice of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Her books include On the Shoulders of Women:  The Feminization of Psychotherapy; Married to the Job:  Why We Live to Work and What We Can Do About It, and Ethel Rosenberg:  Beyond the Myths, and the forthcoming anthology, Have We Lost Our Love for Psychoanalysis?