Psychoanalysis and the Uncanny Persistence of the Family Line
Franz Kafka’s Odradek, that strange, inexplicable figure from The Cares of a Family Man, offers a compelling way to think about something many of us sense but struggle to name: the persistence of something within a family line, something that endures without clear reason, renewing itself in each generation. Kafka’s creation, a small, lifeless yet […]
Creativity, Uncertainty, and the Psychoanalytic Process
The psychoanalytic process is often imagined as a deeply reflective and interpretative experience, one in which unconscious conflicts come to light, meanings unfold, and the patient gains insight. However, insight alone is not always transformative. Creativity is a crucial element that allows analysis to move beyond repetition. Donald Winnicott, with his seminal ideas on play […]
The Invincible Summer: A Psychoanalytic Reflection on Camus’s Return to Tipasa.
An exploration of Albert Camus’s Return to Tipasa through a Lacanian psychoanalytic lens, considering the coexistence of suffering and vitality, love and hate, and the limits of meaning. The essay asks how we might live with unresolved tensions without seeking to eliminate them, and what it means to affirm life without denying suffering.
The Emergence of Newness. Psychoanalytic Reflections for the New Year
As the new year begins, many of us feel the pull of fresh possibilities—a sense of starting anew, leaving behind what no longer serves, and opening ourselves to what might emerge. Yet, what does it truly mean to encounter the new? Within psychoanalysis, the concept of newness is far from superficial; it is not about […]
Levinasian Ethics and Psychoanalysis
The relationship between psychotherapy and ethics can be a subject of deep reflection. Donna Orange, through her interpretation of Emmanuel Levinas, challenges psychotherapists to rethink their role beyond technical expertise and toward ethical responsibility. This perspective aligns in unexpected ways with Lacanian psychoanalysis, despite their distinct frameworks. Here, I explore Orange’s understanding of Levinasian ethics […]
Lessons from Radical Psychiatry Movements
The field of psychiatry and care for individuals with special needs has been profoundly shaped by radical experiments and practices that challenged oppressive norms. At the recent FreePsy conference on psychoanalysis and radical psychiatry, held at the Wellcome Collection in London, the spotlight was on transformative movements like the Saint-Alban experiment, Kingsley Hall, and the […]