Fridays @ CCP Lecture Series

Annie Reiner, Ph.D., Psy.D., LCSW

(Los Angeles, CA)

Friday, May 23, 2025

Bion’s Basics and Beyond

What Language Is This Patient Speaking: Limitations of Language in the Psychic Realm

7-9pm (CST)

Haymarket House, 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago, IL

&

Zoom

About the Presentation: Dr. Annie Reiner will describe some of W.R. Bion’s fundamental ideas, including his thoughts about the challenges of using verbal language to communicate primitive, often non-verbal states of mind. Bion spoke frequently in Los Angeles about the challenge of using everyday language, created for the physical world of the senses, but which psychoanalysts must adapt and apply to the metaphysical world of the mind.

As knowledge of primitive mental states increases, so does this challenge of finding ways to speak to deeper levels of the mind. Dr. Reiner examines our use of language, and how psychoanalysts communicate with their patients, as well as their colleagues. Others of Bion’s clinical theories will also be discussed, including the “selected fact,” an innovative clinical technique, as well as his most controversial concept of O.  Clinical examples will be used to illustrate these ideas.

Annie Reiner has written five psychoanalytic books, as well as numerous articles in journals, and anthologies. She lectures extensively about psychoanalysis throughout the world, and  Dr. James Grotstein ranked her “...high among Bion scholars.”   In addition to her psychoanalytic writings, she has written four books of poetry, a book of short stories, plays, and is the author/illustrator of six children’s books.

Dr. Annie Reiner is a senior faculty member and training analyst at The Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC) in Los Angeles. Her work was greatly influenced by Wilfred Bion, with whom she studied in the 1970's.  She lectures throughout the world, is published in numerous journals and anthologies, and is the author of four psychoanalytic books, including—The Quest for Conscience & The Birth of the Mind (Karnac 2009), Bion and Being: Passion and the Creative Mind (Karnac 2012), Of Things Invisible to Mortal Sight: Celebrating The Work of James S. Grotstein (Karnac, 2017, and most recently, W.R. Bion’s Theories of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge, 2022). Based on these writings, Dr. James Grotstein ranked her “...high among Bion scholars.”  Her latest book, The Poetry, Art, and Science of Psychoanalysis in Bion’s O (Routledge, projected publication date, January 2025).

Dr. Reiner is also a poet, painter, and a singer, and in addition to her psychoanalytic writings, she is the author of a book of short stories, four books of poems, and six children=s books which she also illustrated. She supervises and maintains a psychoanalytic practice in Beverly Hills, California. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to distinguish between the language of everyday life, and the language of emotional life   necessary in psychoanalytic work.

2. Participants will be able to observe the limitations in communicating about the metaphysical aspect of inner life.

3. Participants will be able to identify Bion’s concept of ‘O’ as a symbol for absolute truth and a sense of the infinite.

This is an All Level Presentation

Fees

CCP members: free with annual $195 membership, payable at registration.

Students:free with annual $175 membership, payable at registration.

New / Ongoing Fellows: free with annual $250/$300 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 May 22, 2024 at: tkalven@ccpsa.org

References/Suggested Readings

Bion, W. R. (1962). Learning From Experience. New York: Basic Books.

Bion, W. R. (1970).  Attention and Interpretation. London, Karnac

Bion, W. R. (1974). Bion’s Brazilian Lectures I. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Imago Editora Ltda.

Reiner, A. (2022). W.R. Bion’s Theories of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction, London: Routledge 

Reiner, A. (2022). Limitations of Language in the Psychic Realm. In W.R. Bion’s Theories of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Chapter I, pp. 1-3), London: Routledge, 2022.

Reiner, A. (2022). The Selected Fact. In W.R. Bion’s Theories of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Chapter 3, pp. 28-39), London: Routledge, 2022.

“What language are we speaking?: Bion and early emotional development. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 81(1) 6-26 (March 2021). 

Presented by

The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis/CCP Program Committee: Toula Kourliouros Kalven, Alan Levy, PhD, Zak Mucha, LCSW

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.