Scientific Life
Scientific Meetings are held regularly, consisting of papers on important topics in psychoanalysis and in which there is an ethos of lively psychoanalytic debate.
Some recent papers have been presented by:
- Sara Collins: 'Why Reconstruct? – Perspectives on the Work of Reconstruction within the Transference'
- James Fisher on the topic 'The Impact of Thought Disorder on Emotional Experience' as informed by Bion
- Mary Adams: 'Survivor Guilt and the Proleptic Imagination'
From abroad, Dr. Ludwig Haesler from Berlin and Mme. Jacqueline Godfrind-Haber from Brussels were invited to give papers to mark the BPA's celebration of the IPA Centenary in 2010. Dr. Haesler's paper was entitled '"Shall hate be fairer lodg´d than gentle love?": Struggling for Survival and Autonomy'. Mme. Godfrind-Haber's was about enactment, 'On Enacted Communication'.
Other events open to the broader community have included a paper given by Dr. Ronald Britton on 'Mind and Brain', and a clinical presentation by Mr. Gregorio Kohon, who presented a case history and two psychoanalytic sessions, then led a thought-provoking dialogue with the audience.
From the beginning and encouraged by the IPA, the BPA has established regular Clinical Presentations and discussions attended by the whole membership. These meetings have developed into open, stimulating exchanges between members with different theoretical orientations: Contemporary Freudian, Kleinian and Independent. Dr Anton Kris from the Boston Psychoanalytic Society visited one of our Clinical Meetings and participated in the case discussion.
The first book from our Society, 'Transference and Countertransference: a unifying focus of psychoanalysis', edited by Jean Arundale and Debbie Bandler Bellman, was published by Karnac in January, 2011.
We have recently initiated a writing group that has the function of discussing the writing of scientific papers and helping members prepare them for publication.
Contact us directly for more information on the Scientific Life at the BPA.