Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia

This event addresses: Conscious and Unconscious Guilt, Religion, Psychoanalysis

Co-Facilitators Sonja Ware, TH.M.,M.DIV. & David Sachs, MD. present THE PASTOR AND THE ANALYST: An Interactive Discussion of Conscious and Unconscious Guilt, Religion, and Psychoanalysis.

Guilt is part of the emotional spectrum of human life. As a function of the superego, it can be a healthy compass helping us to make choices. Yet, guilt also has the capacity to burden us in painful and inhibiting ways. Guilt is a societal reality as well. Courts, judges, and juries are put in place to hear cases and then declare a person either guilty or not guilty. In Religion, guilt is addressed through the concept of sin defined as acting against God’s will. Discussing guilt automatically opens the door to concepts like penance, punishment, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Guilt is a hot topic in Psychoanalysis as well as Religion and is large and deep enough to be explored for hours, days, and months. Many theories and concepts have been developed about both conscious and unconscious guilt.

With this in mind, David Sachs and Sonja Ware invite you to explore the aspect of conscious and unconscious guilt in a very practical manner in this year’s discussion between the Pastor and the Analyst. Sonja and David will introduce the conversation by sharing some initial reflections and then present practical examples of situations in which they discovered conscious and unconscious guilt. The clinical examples are made up of a blend of different people to foster discussion and to maintain privacy. The conversation will then be opened to give most of our time together for mutual discussion, thriving through the insights of the participants and their experiences. This program intentionally is an interdisciplinary invitation to all who are curious about exploring guilt, psychoanalysis, and/or religion.