Modern Psychoanalysis

Modern Psychoanalysis is a treatment for relieving mental and emotional distress. Its simple technique heals through the talking interaction between patient and therapist. Join us to learn more or post your own thoughts.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Say Anything! - No. 1

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Empty chair and Modern Psych..? Interesting. Where is the analyst? Do you know how Hyman Spotnitz became an analyst? who analyzed him? Did he learn it on his own? Is he the alpha and the Omega?

Jim said...

Interesting? Maybe. Where do you think the analyst is? How did Hyman Spotnitz become an analyst? who could have analyzed a person like him? How much of this can we learn on our own? Isn't that alpha and Omega position already taken?

Anonymous said...

My take is that it refers to the father's position. Absent in the picture. Why the mistery..? Did someone analyze him or not? I get the feeling he sort of learned on his own, which speaks of his intellect and creativity. Legend has it his was expelled, like Lacan was, because of his views. But I wonder why moderns keep this aura of secrecy around the origins of an otherwise wonderful school/approach.

Jim said...

Are we talking about Hyman Spotnitz, or the guy in the cartoon, or both?

Anonymous said...

Hey, sorry I wasn't claer. I am talking about H. Spotnitz. So, why the mistery? who trained him? who analyzed him? Is he self-made, self-taught?

Jim said...

Why the mystery?

There is some biographical information available, as well as a few excellent articles.

Spotnitz was educated at Harvard College, the University of Berlin and Columbia University; and was trained at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.

He was analyzed by Lillian Delger Powers (Who had been analyzed herself by Freud). He was supervised by Sandor Rado.

Is he self-made, self-taught? An excellent question - I think my answer might be that he was.

Would an article on Spotnitz be a good idea?

Anonymous said...

I totally agree. People like him are, out of necessity, self taught. That's the only way someone can create instead of just follow.
I checked the Manhattan Cnter and their biographical info does not incude anything of what you are mentioning here.
Is it just a rumor or was he actually expelled because of his ideas before he could finish its analytic program? Nothing IPA surprises me.
And yes, by all means, I'd like to know about hat article. Also, could you refer a female modern analyst in NJ I could consult with?

Jim said...

I have heard that rumor and have also heard that he left the New York Psychoanalytic Institute to further his research. What seems clear is that he stirred up the orthodoxy quite a bit.

Two articles with more biographical information on Spotnitz are: Marshall, Robert J. (2000). Hyman Spotnitz and Sandor Ferenczi: Psychoanalysts of Passions, NY, Modern Psychoanalysis, Vol. 25, Issue 1 and Sheftel, S. (1991). Just Say Everything: A Festschrift in Honor of Hyman Spotnitz, NY, Association for Modern Psychoanalysis.

I could refer a female modern analyst in NJ for you to consult with if contact me privately at: njanalyst@hotmail.com and let me know what area of New Jersey you would want to travel to.

Anonymous said...

Hello You two.

When you talk about self-taught, what exactly do you mean by that?

Unknown said...

This picture is sad. It gives the patient an idea of really just being alone on this journey instead of having a witness. I am in analysis and the analyst is very much with me and not absent. I need to be kept in mind by the analyst and people like me who are hyper sensitive to the cold/dead/absent mother will sense when the analyst is not really keeping me in mind. So, this picture is a sad one and what makes it even sadder is that it has been posted on a blog about psychoanalysis