May 9, 2019
“Psychoanalysis has created a precious tool, the psychoanalytic method. The psychoanalytic method can be used in our consulting rooms, but we think that this precious tool that we have developed can be used in other territories.”
Description: Harvey Schwartz welcomes, as the first guest of IPA Off The Couch, Virginia Ungar, current President of the International Psychoanalytic Association. She is a training analyst at the Buenos Aires Psychoanalytic Association where she lives and practices. She specializes in child and adolescent analysis and was the former chair of the IPA’s child and adolescent psychoanalysis committee as well as chair of the committee for integrative training. The IPA and the community project — of which this podcast is one expression — has been a pillar for Dr. Ungar’s Presidency.
In this first episode, you will learn first hand about her vision for our field and for our future.
Key takeaways:
[1:43] Introduction of Dr. Virginia Ungar, President of the International Psychoanalytic Association.
[3:17] Dr. Virginia Ungar’s vision for the IPA and the community.
[4:43] The precious tool of the psychoanalytic method applied to the community.
[5:36] The IPA has committees on education, humanitarian organization, health, violence, law and culture.
[6:26] Awards for psychoanalysts who work in the community.
[6:58] What do psychoanalysts do different when working in the community?
[8:01] The analytic attitude in community work.
[9:56] Observation, listening and thinking prior to action.
[10:44] Evaluating an intervention for its impact in the patient’s associations.
[11:55] Dr. Virginia Ungar’s analytic journey.
[14:56] Psychoanalysts work between the intrapsychic world and reality.
[16:27] Reality is co-created by our minds.
[18:58] Psychoanalysis cannot use marketing strategies, the only way is showing how we work and think.
[20:08] Allow patients to get in touch with their own wish to come to analysis more often and deeply.
[21:20] Patients obtain psychoanalysis through the right motivation (Not necessary a reason)
[22:30] Dictatorship and psychoanalysis in Argentina.
[28:05] Emigration of psychoanalysts during dictatorship.
[28:45] Being in danger.
[29:30] Censorship.
[30:39] Psychoanalysis today in Argentina.
[33:33] IPA Awards against the stereotype that only the wealthy get psychoanalytic benefits.
Mentioned in this episode:
IPA Off the Couch www.ipaoffthecouch.org
Recommended Reading:
Ungar, Virginia. Letter from Argentina. Int J Psychoanal 2017 98:3