Kijun Times

Modernize. Revolutionize. Improve. Update. Upgrade. These are just some of the words that we use to describe the process of evolving with the times. Whether it is Windows or iOs, automobile engines, energy sources, surgical techniques, protocols for health screening, laws about marriage or marijuana or physics or economics. The opportunity and the need to change press upon us all.

I discovered recently, to my surprise and relief, that my colleagues in psychoanalysis are waking up to the need for our theory, practice, and public profile to evolve with the changing times.

In July 2015, two thousand psychoanalysts and students travelled from all over the globe to attend the biennial meeting of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) in Boston, the 49th Congress in the IPA’s history. It was an amazing but rather overwhelming experience, as we heard from leaders in the field about a crucial topic, “Changing World: The shape and use of psychoanalytic tools today.”

This was my first time attending an IPA Congress, and it both met and didn’t meet my expectations. I expected to be intimidated in the presence of the great thinkers in our field—and I was. I expected to feel lost amidst a sea of strangers—and that is (sometimes) how I felt. But there were unexpected experiences as well.

I expected the group of analysts to be dominated by aging, White males—aloof, remote, and intellectual. But women were everywhere, and young people, too! While still far from being racially diverse, the convention center was buzzing with the sounds of Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Mandarin, and more. And, to my surprise, people were downright friendly. I had the opportunity to have a delightful lunch with a passionate, vibrant group of 20- and 30-something-year-old women from San Paulo. And the video, Black Psychoanalysts Speak, was compelling and captivating.

The ambiance of the Congress itself gave me a feeling that psychoanalysis is evolving—and perhaps this is the real benefit of attending an international meeting such as this. But I was also impressed with the efforts that the leaders of the international organization are making to shape psychoanalytic theory and practice in a more contemporary way. For example:

Source: Jennifer Kunst

A greater emphasis on science. At the Congress, German professor and psychoanalyst Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleberthe emphasized the need to engage the post-modern world in which the scientific method is the gold standard. Psychoanalysts cannot limit their research to clinical experience or single case studies anymore, compelling as this sort of study may be. We need to interface with the scientific, medical community by participating in outcome research to examine the effectiveness of psychoanalytic forms of treatment. She shared that many such studies have been done and long-term projects are underway. A summary of this research has just been published by the IPA Research Committee called, An Open Door Review of Clinical, Conceptual, Process and Outcome Studies in Psychoanalysis (Third Edition). She even made this hot-off-the-press volume available on a handy flash drive to those who attended the workshop—and it will be posted on the IPA website in the very near future.

Source: CC0 Public Domain

A greater openness to technology. In the spirit of the Congress theme, “Changing World,” many papers and presentations focused on the need for psychoanalysts to think about and experiment with new technologies, particularly in the delivery of services through Skype; in promoting psychoanalysis through websites, blogging, and social media; and in understanding the influence of technology in the lives of our patients. While many psychoanalysts bemoan and resist these changes, they are, as one of the discussants mentioned, a fait accompli. Technology is here to stay, and we’d better get on the train—carefully and thoughtfully, of course, because that’s what psychoanalysts try to do. But the message came across loud and clear: we need to get on board.

A greater acceptance of diversity in sexuality. Psychoanalysts have a reputation of being dinosaurs when it comes to openness about sexuality, holding a rather narrow view of what is “normal” and a rather judgmental view of “pathology.” But at this Congress, there was a tone of growing openness to the diversity of sexual experiences and orientations. In one meeting, for example, British psychoanalyst and professor Allessandra Lemma presented some of the potentially positive uses of the Internet in allowing people to experiment with different personas in non-destructive ways. She presented a case of a married, middle aged man who wished to explore a homosexual orientation and was able to do so safely through Internet websites and chat rooms. During the discussion, an attendee thanked her publically for speaking about the homosexuality in such a non-judgmental way. Lemma responded by saying (and I paraphrase), “It is a sorry state of affairs if, in this day and age, it takes courage to talk non-judgmentally about homosexuality.” The room erupted in applause.

Electing the first female president of the IPA. When Dr. Virginia Ungar of Argentina gave her keynote address, I sensed from the audience a kind of hopeful even giddy excitement: the first female president-elect of the International Psychoanalytic Association! She spoke about the changes in her own way of practicing psychoanalysis over the past 30 years, a shift from a more theory-dominated, interpretive approach to a more experience-near, less hierarchical one. While the IPA has had many capable, esteemed presidents, the presence of a younger, vibrant, female analyst at the helm is progress indeed.

To be sure, there is more to be done in the evolving work of psychoanalysis and I still have my reservations. But I was heartened by this experience and hopeful that psychoanalysts today might be responsive enough to keep our discipline alive and relevant--and so be of use to people in an ever-changing world.

Copyright 2015 Jennifer Kunst, PhD

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For more of Jennifer's wisdom, check out her book Wisdom from the Couch: Knowing and Growing Yourself from the Inside Out (link is external) and her website www.drjenniferkunst.com (link is external)