Psychic Reality  and Mastectomy

Suanne Zager, MSW

The theme of loss is amply illustrated with case material as the essence of the analytic work. Two major traumata, which are worked through repeatedly in different ways in the patient's life, are discovered and explored: one in infancy and one in latency.  The analyst explores the transference that begins with the patient's hatred and the subsequent countertransference reactions that are stirred up within the context of the treatment. The analyst takes on the specific challenges of dealing with cancer in one's body as well as the ultimate challenge of dealing with the patients and our own death.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Suanne Zager, MSW maintains a psychotherapy and psychoanalysis practice in Lansing and in Southfield where she works with children, adolescents, adults and couples. Areas of particular interest include cancer, death and dying. She also has extensive experience working in the field of addictions and with older adults. Ms. Zager is a graduate of The Michigan Psychoanalytic Council psychoanalytic training program, and is a founder of the organization's newsletter.  

Dying to be Perfect 

Roberta Toll, Ph.D.

Dr. Toll will discuss the cultural and psychological aspects of perfectionism-the superwoman syndrome.  Women's drive to be perfect is multi-dimensional, deriving from, among other things, gender inferiority, cultural pressures, and internal deficits.  Women have become increasingly obsessive in their drive for perfection.  The emotional consequences of perfectionism can be devastating.  Examples include fear of making mistakes, stress from the pressure to perform, self-consciousness, low self-esteem, and depression.  Dr. Toll will discuss the many symptoms that perfectionistic woman may suffer from, with particular emphasis on eating disorders. 

Perfectionism has been found to be an important associated feature in women diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia.  She will discuss some of the numerous cultural and body image issues connected with eating disorders, and will illustrate her lecture with anecdotal evidence from her clinical practice.  Finally, she will offer some suggestions that women may follow to achieve release from the negative aspects of  perfection. 
   
ABOUT THE PRESENTER: A clinical psychologist in private practice, Roberta Toll has special expertise in the area of eating disorders and women's issues.  She was formerly affiliated with the Eastwood Clinic of St. John's Hospital and holds the following degrees: University of Michigan, B.A.; University of Pennsylvania, M.S.W.; Center for Humanistic Psychology, Psy.S.; and the Union Institute, PhD. (Clinical Psychology).  Her professional affiliations include the American Psychological Association; Michigan Women Psychologists--President 1996-1997; Michigan Psychological Association; Academy for Eating Disorders; The Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis; and the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute.  She is a member of the board of directors of Merrill Palmer Institute (Wayne State University) and the Oakland University School of Nursing.  Dr. Toll has lectured on various topics, including eating disorders.  Her speaking engagements include the Women's Health Expo, WJR Radio Health Watch program, the Community House, The Renfrew Center, and the International Association of Psychologists.  

MSPP 2001 Fall Conference

 Meeting  (With) the 'Child': Different Perspectives Within Psychoanalysis

         Jerrold  R. Brandell, Ph.D.,  Purnima  Mehta, M.D.,  Roxanna P. Transit, Ph.D.

In recent years psychoanalytic theory, technique and practice have undergone tremendous change and diversification, reflecting a respect for, and appreciation of the multiple theoretical perspectives emerging within the psychoanalytic community. One area of change has been within ‘child' work, as scholars and practitioners from many disciplines have worked together producing some very different understandings of the 'child' and different techniques for working with the child. Please join us for what promises to be an exciting opportunity to listen to experienced clinicians present their very different theories and techniques for working with children, illustrated with clinical vignettes. MSPP is delighted to sponsor this local forum on children and looks forward to the opportunity it provides to discuss these diverse psychoanalytic perspectives. We hope you will join us.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS: ROXANNA P. TRANSIT, PH.D., PURNIMA MEHTA, M.D. is an adult, adolescent and child psychoanalyst and an adult psychiatrist in practice in Troy, MI. She is on the faculty at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. She provides consultation and teaching to community agencies and she has lectured and written on the impact of immigration and psychological aspects of second generation children. JERROLD R. BRANDELL, PH.D., BCD  specializes in psychoanalytic developmental theory, and in child, adolescent and adult psychoanalytic psychotherapy and maintains a private practice in Ann Arbor, MI. An advanced candidate in psychoanalysis at Michigan Psychoanalytic Council, he is Founding Editor of Psychoanalytic Social Work and also serves on the International Editorial Advisory Board of  Israel Psychoanalytic Journal. He is author of five books, including Psychoanalytic Approaches to the Treatment of Children and Adolescents: Tradition and Transformation (Haworth, 2001), and Of Mice and Metaphors: Therapeutic Storytelling with Children (Basic Books, 2000).

The Psychological Fantasy of Insomnia

 Sander J. Breiner, M. D., Discussant: Lionel Finkelstein, M. D.

The clinical diagnosis of  insomnia is explored. The infectious and brain pathology diseases are rare causes for insomnia. The remaining vast majority of insomnia cases have anxiety and/or depression as the important factor.  Sleep laboratory studies demonstrate no true insomnia (inability to sleep).  Questions are raised how to diagnose and treat this common clinical problem.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Sander J. Breiner, M.D. is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with over 40 years of clinical experience.  He teaches at Wayne State University and Michigan State University, and trains therapists in the fields of social work and psychoanalysis.  He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians, and is a founding member of the Psychohistory Forum. He is a member of MSPP, and a training psychoanalyst and member of  MPC.   As an active researcher, Dr. Breiner has published over 100 scientific papers, including the book, "Slaughter of the Innocents: Child Abuse Through the Ages and Today. "

Madness in Psycho(analy)sis: The Ear-rationality of Treating Illusion as RealityPaper Presentation by  Patrick B. Kavanaugh, Ph.D. 

In contrast to modern medicine's pathology and science driven conceptualization of psychosis, this paper speaks to madness as understood from the perspective of a philosophy of differences, semiotics, and the performance arts. In the context of process material, consideration is given to the dramatic meaning of madness in which the theatre develops its truth, which is illusion. If illusion treated as reality is madness, then this conceptualization structures an ear-rationality by which we might listen, understand, and respond to the interacting illusions in psycho(analy)sis. This paper was presented as the Keynote Address at an international congress held in Mexico City, the theme of which was Intersubjectivity and Psychosis. It speaks to a way of thinking, conceptualizing and working with people and madness in the analytic discourse, as situated in philosophy, the humanities and the arts.

Study Group with Dr. Kavanaugh

2:15 ~ 4:15 p.m. in the MEDICAL BUILDING (Auditorium 8B)

immediately after  the reception

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Dr. Kavanaugh is past president of the Academy for the Study of the Psychoanalytic Arts, and a former president of the MSPP and the International Federation for Psychoanalytic Education. He has presented and published on psychoanalytic epistemology, ethics, education, theory, and practice. He is in the private practice of psychoanalysis in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Exploration, Illumination, and Elaboration of Play Space

Paper Presentation by  Brenda Lepisto, Psy.D.

Using Winnicott’s concept of transitional space, joint attention, theory of mind, and a case study, the author describes techniques in elucidating a child’s psychic life. Explicating the child’s theory of mind uncovers the dynamics, motive, conflicts, and unconscious material used by the analyst to form interpretations and encourage the child’s self-reflective function (Fonagy, 1996) Finally, a case vignette illustrates the enhancement of “play space” by elucidating the child’s theory of mind.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Dr. Brenda Lovegrove Lepisto received her Psy.D. in clinical psychology from Central Michigan University. She completed her internship at The Devereux Foundation and a Michigan State University, child clinical psychology post-doctoral fellowship at the Hurley Medical Center and The Donald Whaley Children's Center. Currently, she is a psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in East Lansing. She is an adjunct professor at Michigan State University in the College of Human Medicine and teaches at Hurley Medical Center in the internal medicine residency program. Dr. Lepisto is also an adjunct professor in the MSU Psychology Department where she supervises clinical psychology doctoral students. She is a member of MSPP and MPC. Her publications and research interests include: children and adolescents' perceptions of their experiences, outcome studies using the Rorschach, and the use of empathy in treatment. Currently, she is researching and writing a paper on the mutual individuation process that occurs between mothers and their children.      

Ideas Concerning Continuing Education for Psychoanalytic Psychology

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Paper Presentation by  Barry Dauphin , Ph.D.

Dr. Dauphin will discuss special aspects of ongoing education for those who work with people psychoanalytically. He will address a view of psychoanalysis which embodies ideas of personalized reconceptions of living. Therefore, he suggests that what qualifies as continuing education remain open ended, embrace volition and is not best served through (supposed) mastery of templates, protocols and other scripts for working. He will address the details and potential impact of the current efforts to pass Mandatory Continuing Education for psychologists practicing in the state of Michigan. The paper is meant to serve as an entree into an audience discussion about these issues.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Dr. Dauphin is a former president of MSPP and former editor of the MSPP News. He currently serves as MSPP's representative to Section IV (Local chapters) of Division 39 and was recently elected Treasurer of Section IV. He received his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 1988. He has presented papers locally and nationally on topics such as psychoanalysis and culture, psychoanalysis in relation to science and the humanities as well as other topics. He currently maintains a private practice in Birmingham involving psychoanalytic work with children, adolescents and adults.

THE IMPLICIT IN PSYCHOANALYSIS

Paper Presentation by  Robert Hooberman, Ph.D.

The 'implicit' refers to the unspoken manner in which the patient presents. It reflects characterological issues that are not available for verbalization since they occur within the preconscious. As such, they represent family 'language' patterns that determine essential aspects of personality development and functioning. Within the preconscious reside hidden identifications, compromise formations and conflicts. Elaboration of these' implicit' aspects provides a link between past and present, preconscious and unconscious, external events and transference and between symptom and cause. Because of the elusiveness and non-verbal aspects of the preconscious, the transference-countertransference matrix takes center stage and requires careful attention to nuances often overlooked. The presentation will be amply illustrated with case material.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Robert Hooberman, Ph.D. maintains a psychotherapy and psychoanalysis practice in Ann Arbor specializing in the treatment of adolescents and adults. In addition to his clinical practice he supervises and teaches classes through the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council where he is currently President. Dr. Hooberman is co-author of  Managing the Difficult Patient and the author of the forthcoming volume, Characterological Transformations through the Psychotherapeutic Relationship.

Joint Presentation With The Academy For The Study of the Psychoanalytic Arts

Psychoanalytical Perspectives on Film:

Paranoiac Visions and Neo-Realities in the recent Cinema

Paper Presentation by  David L Downing, Psy.D.

This presentation works within the integrative tradition of applied psychoanalysis as pioneered by Sigmund Freud in such papers as The Relation of the Poet to Day-Dreaming; The Theme of the Three Caskets; The Moses of Michelangelo; and others. Neo-realities in the Recent Cinema notes a current thematic trend, that, it is suggested, embodies disquieting intra-psychical dilemmas with which individuals are increasingly pre-occupied; and accordingly, are increasingly projected onto the stage of the world-at-large (including projective spheres, for discharge where they can be vicariously sampled, explored, and dismissed). The sampled films express derivative visions of de-centeredness from one’s subjective moorings, and psychical collapse into psychosis. As such, the images & encoded struggles they embody provide vicarious contact with processes which are incapable of being named, as the experiences exist outside of the semiotic provisions of language. Much like the psychoanalytical enterprise itself, the paper attempts to explore sectors of experience where reason is not welcome. 

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: David L. Downing, Psy.D. is the Director of Clinical Training and Professor at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology/Chicago Northwest. He received his doctorate from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio; and received his certificate in psychoanalysis from the Center for Psychoanalytic Study in Chicago. He is the Past-President and current Treasurer of the Chicago Open Chapter for the Study of Psychoanalysis (Section IV, Local Chapters, APA Division of Psychoanalysis [39]); Charter Treasurer of the International Federation for Psychoanalytic Education; and the Secretary of the Chicago Circle Association (a Chicago Psychoanalytical Society associated with the Ecole de Freudien du Quebec). Dr Downing has written and presented on theoretical and treatment vicissitudes related to severe psychopathology, as well as applied psychoanalysis. He maintains a private practice in psychoanalysis, psychoanalytical psychotherapy, and supervision in Chicago and Rolling Meadows, Illinois.