September 27, 2005

According to the calendar that organizes time and events for most of us, September is a pivotal month.  Part way between summer and fall, it marks the place where many of us let go reluctantly of a possibly more relaxed tempo of conducting business and a trail of days that include just the right mixtures of sun and water. Maybe it is the press of unfinished business dating back to the start of summer that impels us toward closure and mastery over events---thus, to adjust quickly to the more hectic and scheduled pace of a current work week. Let’s stay with this theme of “current events” for a while longer.

Though the Academy has not held official meetings over the summer months, some work has been ongoing.  For example, a recent election was held, results were collected and tabulated. On behalf of the Academy, congratulations are extended to Dr. Linda Young, Academy President. We are so fortunate to experience her passionate and enduring dedication to the spirit and work of the Academy. Also, we acknowledge appreciatively Dr. Lynne Tenbusch, outgoing Academy President. Her creativity, resourcefulness, hard work and good humor have contributed immeasurably to the Academy’s buoyancy especially during some tsunami-like periods of frustration and tumult.

Additionally of note is the result that there was no elected Vice President (VP) for this term. Reaching as far back in my memory as I can, I do not remember an Academy board without a person in the position of VP. Hmmm, this is different—not good different or bad different—just different. Perhaps this signifies that something is different or in flux about/within the Academy. Maybe this result suggests that the Academy membership is “bored” with some aspect of its original “board” structure. Maybe as a membership we have less need for unquestioned adherence to a particular organizational structure that has served the Academy well to this point in time. We could speculate endlessly about the meaning of this particular phenomenon, but why?

What can be appreciated now is that, as a construct, the Academy still “floats.”  Since the Academy does not have a life force and agency that are independent of its members, it would appear that the membership believes generally that the Academy is a viable organization with a mission that is worthy of reflection if not embrace. The Academy, as a construct, may be precisely the same as it always has been in terms of its mission and objectives. Or it may not be precisely the same as always. Because it is dynamic rather than static it has the capacity to make whatever adaptations seem most in the service of its mission and objectives in the face of forces acting on it from within and from the outside as well. The Member-Ship floats the Academy, infuses it with energy, and decides how best to advance its ideals and accomplish its mission.

The Academy for the Study of the Psychoanalytic Arts is deeply rooted in philosophy, humanities, the arts and ethics.  Privacy and individual freedoms are seriously at risk today as forceful and destructive tidal waves of reductionism threaten to dilute, destroy and drown that which is deeply personal and uniquely human about and within the psychoanalytic encounter.  Each of us must make a choice for ourselves. Being in flux about these “current events “can seem unbearable. There are many tempting illusory glimpses of certainty and security, i.e., national trends, monetary advantage, collegial sanction, etc. Various options are available. I include just a few. We can continue to sort through our own confusion. We can allow ourselves to feel helplessly tossed about among waves of public terror, governmental regulation and flawed science. We can remind ourselves that creative problem-solving often rises out of patient reflection and intimate discourse. New Page 2

Perhaps being in flux is a starting point for thinking about and even re-conceptualizing the mission and objectives of the Academy. In these changing times of changing tides what purpose there is in staying afloat as an organization remains to be seen. Much about our lives is uncertain (although some high tides are more clearly imminent than others). Let’s embrace being in flux as an opportunity for creative thinking and expanded possibilities. Welcome new and returning Academy members!