Is clinical psychoanalysis a healthcare system, a distinct discipline, or something else entirely? This conference explores this fundamental question, examining the evolving landscape of clinical psychoanalysis in the 21st century. We will address the tension between preserving core psychoanalytic principles and adapting to new trends in mental health needs, service delivery, and technology. This exploration is crucial for ensuring psychoanalysis’s continued relevance and efficacy.
The conference fosters dialogue between practitioners, scholars, and others creating a space for critical reflection on the challenges and opportunities facing psychoanalysis. A central theme will be whether psychoanalysis is “fit for purpose” in modern society and how it can adapt without losing its essential character. This includes examining its relationship with allied disciplines, such as clinical phenomenology, and critically assessing the contemporary relevance of foundational Freudian texts.
Key Themes
- Preserving the Core, Embracing Change: How do we protect traditional psychoanalytic practice while adapting to evolving demands? This includes exploring shorter-term therapies, integrating psychoanalytic insights into other treatments, and reaching diverse populations. Has psychoanalytic practice kept pace with societal shifts? What is the contemporary relevance of Freud’s work from the 1920s, and can Freudian psychoanalysis survive this century?
- Meeting Modern Demand: How can psychoanalysis respond to the rising demand for mental health services while remaining true to its core values? We will examine current trends, including the arguments for so-called evidence-based practices, technology integration, and cultural sensitivity, exploring innovative models of care. Does the ‘standard’ psychoanalytic model still exist?
- The AI Revolution: How can we speak about the intersection of AI and psychoanalysis, examining the potential benefits and challenges. Can AI enhance practice, or does it threaten the human element?
- The Future of Training and Practice: Why train as a psychoanalyst today? We will explore the challenges and rewards of a psychoanalytic career in the 21st century, and how training programs can prepare clinicians for evolving needs. Is psychoanalysis hindered by dogma? Has it responded to contemporary clinical presentations?
- Regulation and Diversity: How can we ensure qualified and ethical care balancing public protection and professional autonomy. How do we preserve diverse analytic traditions amidst potential state regulation and standardization pressures?
- Allied Disciplines and Shared Ground: Clinical phenomenology and psychoanalysis share a focus on idiographic understanding, co-created truths, existential rather than predicative truth, and the structure of subjectivity. Despite methodological differences, their shared ground suggests potential for collaboration, especially in advocating for idiographic approaches within medical and psychological training. The emergence of philosophical counselling also raises questions about interdisciplinary relationships and the future of therapeutic practice.
- Revisiting Freud: How can we assess the contemporary relevance of key Freudian texts, including The Ego and the Id (examining the superego in modern society), “Psychical Consequences of the Anatomical Distinction Between the Sexes” (and its implications for gender identity), “The Economic Problem of Masochism” (exploring its historical context and contemporary resonance), and “Inhibitions, Symptoms & Anxiety” (considering its contribution to trauma theory in light of current research).
This conference invites all to join the discussion about psychoanalysis’s future, ensuring its valuable contribution to mental health. We will specifically address the place of psychoanalysis in modern society, if it is being held back by dogma, if analytic practice has kept pace with change, the existence of a ‘standard’ model, its response to contemporary clinical presentations (including online therapy and AI), how to preserve training diversity in the face of standardization pressures, the potential for collaboration with related fields, and the lasting value and interpretation of foundational Freudian texts.