Poetry and Psychoanalysis: Theory and Technique

Led by Salman Akhtar, MD. This presentation will open by discussing what poetry is in actuality. What are its components? From where does it originate? How does it exert a healing effect upon mental pain? Moving on from such issues, the presentation will highlight three links between poetry and psychoanalysis. These refer to the presence […]

Major Issues in Contemporary Psychoanalytic Technique

Led by Salman Akhtar, MD. While retaining the 'trio of guideposts' ( Pine, 1997) constituted by anonymity, abstinence, and neutrality, contemporary psychoanalysis has witnessed many changes in its theoretical base and clinical praxis. These include (1) a greater developmental orientation, (ii) a tendency to judiciously accommodate the frame to the patient's sociocultural ethos, (iii) a […]