Hedda Bolgar Series
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Inaugural Remarks
Alan J. Levy, PhD, President, Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis
Steven Reisner, PhD
(New York, NY)
Tourists and Refugees: psychoanalysis and the experience of exile
12noon-2pm (CST): ZOOM
About the presentation: Freud famously said that psychoanalysis delivered one of humanity’s three great narcissistic wounds: the awareness that “the ego is not master of his own house.” In doing so, Freud made us aware that our capacities for language, thought and self-reflection, coupled with the splitting of consciousness, leads to the inexorable conclusion that human beings, at our best, are exiles to ourselves.
What can psychoanalytic awareness offer us today, in a world overflowing with exiles: refugees fleeing war, poverty and injustice in search of safety, and tourists demanding safe passage through exotic locales, sometimes in the very same places, so they can check off sites on their bucket lists? And how will psychoanalysis steer us through the 4th narcissistic injury – the knowledge that our stay on this planet is not guaranteed?
Steven Reisner, PhD is a psychoanalyst and political activist. He is a founding member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, Advisor on Psychology and Ethics for Physicians for Human Rights and past-President of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. Along with a small, dedicated group of psychologist–activists, Dr. Reisner fought to prohibit psychologists from continuing in their central role in abusive CIA and military interrogation and detention processes. As a result of these efforts, the American Psychological Association prohibited psychologists from involvement in such interrogations, and psychologists were removed from detention operations at Guantanamo Bay.
Dr. Reisner has been a consultant on issues of trauma, torture, political violence, disaster, and resilience in the face of catastrophic events for the United Nations, the European Council, the International Criminal Court, the International Organization for Migrations and other international humanitarian and mental health organizations and has provided training for clinicians after disasters and political violence in Haiti, Kosovo, Kurdistan, Colombia, and Ethiopia.
Dr. Reisner is the recipient of the Division 39 (APA’s Division of Psychoanalysis) Leadership Award, the New York State Psychological Association’s Beacon Award, and the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis’ Vision Award. He has published in the New York Times, Slate, Huffington Post and in various academic journals, including Psychoanalytic Dialogues, JAPA, and Studies in Gender and Sexuality.
More recently, Dr. Reisner was a co-producer on Michael Moore’s documentary film, Fahrenheit 11/9. And he is the writer and producer of the podcast, Madness: Where Psychology and Capitalism Collide, which to date has been downloaded over 70,000 times and has reached listeners in 108 countries.
Learning Objectives
Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. To distinguish the concepts of superego and ego-ideal as they pertain to clinical and social-justice work.
2. To explain how prioritizing the translation of ideas into ‘behavioral terms’ reflects neo-liberal, rather than humanistic values.
This is an Advanced Level Presentation
Fees
CCP members: free with annual $175 membership, payable at registration.
Students:free with annual $150 membership, payable at registration.
Fellows: free with annual $150 membership, payable at registration.
Non-CCP members, single admission: $50
Continuing Education
This program is sponsored for Continuing Education Credits by the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis. There is no commercial support for this program, nor are there any relationships between the continuing education sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding that could be construed as conflicts of interest. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If the program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis maintains responsibility for this program and its content. CCP is licensed by the state of Illinois to sponsor continuing education credits for Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Social Workers, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors, Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Counselors and Licensed Clinical Psychologists (license no. 159.000941 and 268.000020 and 168.000238 Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation).
Professionals holding the aforementioned credentials will receive 2.0 continuing education credits for attending the entire program. To receive these credits a completed evaluation form must be turned in at the end of the presentation and licensed psychologists must first complete a brief exam on the subject matter. No continuing education credit will be given for attending part of the presentation. Refunds for CE credit after the program begins will not be honored. If a participant has special needs or concerns about the program, s/he/they should contact Toula Kourliouros Kalven by September 10, 2022 at: tkalven@ccpsa.org
References/Suggested Readings
Strachey, J. (1969). The Nature of the Therapeutic Action of Psychoanalysis. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 50:275-292
Freud, S. (1924b/1950). The passing of the Oedipus complex. In Collected Papers, (Vol. 2, pp. 269-276). London: The Hogarth Press.
Madness: The Podcast: Episode 9 (Mar 22) Beauty is truth: A tale of Covid in two cities.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beauty-is-truth-a-tale-of-covid-in-two-cities/id1483445721?i=1000513975132
Reisner, S. Trauma, the seductive hypothesis. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association. 2003; 51(2): 381-414.
Freud, S. (1917a/1966). Mourning and melancholia. In Collected Papers, (Vol. 4, pp. 152-172). London: The Hogarth Press.
Daily Mail, May 27, 2015: Holidaymaker misery as thousands of boat people from Syria and Afghanistan set up migrant camp to turn popular Greek island into ‘disgusting’ hellhole.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3099736/Holidaymakers-misery-boat-people-Syria-Afghanistan-seeking-asylum-set-migrant-camp-turn-popular-Greek-island-Kos-disgusting-hellhole.html
Presented by
The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis/CCP Program Committee: Carol Ganzer, PhD, Toula Kourliouros Kalven, Alan Levy, PhD.
The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis is an IRS 501(C)(3) charitable organization, and expenses may be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and your personal tax situation.
