English Speaking Weekend Conference: Metapsychology in the Consulting Room

Abstract

This conference is open to members and candidates of the International Psychoanalytic Association, and members and candidates of member organisations of the British Psychoanalytic Council.

The theme of this conference will be the standing of metapsychological thinking in our theories and clinical practice today. We would like to revisit, discuss and debate Freud's contention which makes use of Goethe's words, to alert psychoanalysts to the centrality of metapsychological thinking. In a moment of adversity, Goethe's Faust exclaims "We must call the Witch to our help after all!" "… the Witch metapsychology" Freud echoes; "without metapsychological speculation and theorizing, I had almost said 'phantasying', we shall not get another step further" (Freud, 1937 p.225).  

Do we, today, still consider that we need to call upon "The Witch" to further psychoanalysis? Is metapsychology, be it Freudian, Bionian or of another description, still considered in our different schools of thought to be central to our work?

How does metapsychological thinking guide the contemporary developments of our concepts and our analytic praxis?

Do different metapsychological approaches have similar clinical outcomes?

The 2016 English Speaking Weekend Conference will continue to employ the dialogue format introduced in the 2014 ESWEC. The organising committee envisages that the 2016 will be an event that will continue the rich tradition of this biennial conference of the British Psychoanalytical Society in which developments in psychoanalytic thinking are to be considered and debated.

Speakers

Ron Britton BPAS in dialogue with Marilia Aisenstein SPP

Chair: Michael Parsons BPAS

David Taylor BPAS in dialogue with Sara Flanders BPAS

Chair: Vic Sedlack BPAS

Angela Joyce BPAS in  dialogue with Dennis Flynn BPAS

Chair: Robin Anderson BPAS

Ticket Prices

Early Bird Members / Associates: £245

Clinical Seminars: £55

Dinner / Dance: £95

*The early bird rate of £245 for the core conference will expire on 30 March 2016.  From 1 April 2016 the cost of the core conference will be £ 270.

Further Information

Please see the ESWC brochure for further information. The link to the conference is https://psychoanalysis.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?id=381&reset=1