OFFICIAL WEBSITE for the Chicago Psychoanalytic Society

During the last two years, the Society has established a prize for a paper competition among its members. Last year the prize was to be awarded for the best paper submitted by a graduate member. This year the prize is to be awarded for the best paper submitted by a candidate. For each, the prize is $1000 and the opportunity to present the paper to the Society. A paper prize committee has been established; the committee has worked hard to establish a fair procedure. The plan is to have three readers - one from the committee and two from a roster of nationally recognized readers; in essence, we will be getting very high quality peer review for the papers. Although an announcement went out for the candidates' paper some months ago, no one has as yet submitted a paper. A number of the candidates have already published works in a variety of places, and others have begun to work on things. Some years ago, after I presented a paper on applied psychoanalysis, one of my mentors asked me why I hadn't considered presenting it in Chicago. That question has stayed with me and seems to have a place now in our efforts to stimulate interest in candidates submitting papers for the Society prize. The paper prize committee would like to have your paper now. Although the deadline is March 31, the committee is just now getting fully organized; and any paper submitted before the start of the fall meetings of the Society will be still be considered.

This Spring brings a plethora of activities for the Society. By the time you receive this newsletter, the biennial conference on Clinical Issues with Lesbians and Gay Men will have taken place. The registrations at the time of this writing have exceeded our most optimistic projections and are still arriving. Since the conference has a unique format for us (including mental health professionals who are non- analysts as workshop co-chairs), the feed back will be very useful in the planning of future conferences. The intent of the planning committee was to keep the focus on clinical work.

In addition, this Spring is the time for us to conduct elections for the next slate of officers. An announcement will be in the mail to ask for nominations. Last election saw more than one candidate for several of the positions. Our by laws suggest that we do that routinely. However, the tradition has been for the nominating committee to propose a slate for the members to vote on. Few of us like to campaign. However, if the committee is presented with several viable candidates for each office, they may present us with two choices for each of those offices. The nominees would then have discretion whether to campaign, and we would have more mail to read and to be thoughtful in reading it.

Finally, the program committee has begun work on next year's series of papers for our scientific meetings. Anyone who has a paper that might be of interest is encouraged to submit for possible presentation.

Director's Column by Jerry Winer, M.D.

As we begin the new millennium, the Institute continues to reach out into the community in many ways. We were proud to cosponsor the Society's conference on "Clinical Issues with Lesbians and Gay Men". On Friday, March 17th, conference speaker Ralph Roughton, M.D. was the first visiting teacher in an annual program to commemorate the contributions of Thomas James Pappadis, M.D. to psychoanalytic education. Also, the Thomas James Pappadis, M.D. Prize for the best paper from a University of Chicago undergraduate or graduate student in the humanities has been established by the Institute for Psychoanalysis with the University of Chicago. A prize of $1,000 will be awarded, and the winning paper will be published in The Annual of Psychoanalysis. This year's topic is "Freud and the Modern World."

As I have reported previously, the Institute's Conference on Youth and Violence (May 12-14, 2000) is making tremendous inroads in bringing the Institute together with schools and universities, law enforcement, social service agencies, the business community, religious leaders, health care providers, the court system, and state and local government. The conference brochure is being prepared for printing and mailing, and I hope that you will be as impressed with the program as I am. The committee has been hard at work planning a conference that promises to be exciting and intellectually stimulating. A number of members of our Institute family are involved in the conference program, including faculty, candidates, and staff. I am most proud to have secured more than $75,000 in funding for this conference, with the able assistance of Bob Galatzer-Levy, the conference chair, and Pat Rueckheim, the Institute's Director of Clinical and Educational Services. The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust is the lead sponsor of the conference.

The Institute's annual Benefit will be held on Saturday, September 16th at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago. Benefit co-chairs Georgia and Herb Cibul and Lois Richmond along with their energetic committee are busy planning a wonderful evening featuring a first class dinner, an exciting silent auction, and a presentation by renowned author Scott Turow. Be sure to mark the date on your calendar.

The Institute hosted an Open House on Saturday, February 26th to present the Core Program to potential applicants. With an attendance of 24, the Recruitment Committee presented an excellent program, including a panel discussion by current and recent graduates, and a videotape prepared by Barbara and Bob Fajardo where they simulated an analytic session (watch out Hollywood!!). We were happy to welcome current and past fellows, and students in the Institute's Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program, as well as several residents from Northwestern, Rush, and the U. of I. The Recruitment Committee intends to offer another Open House this year, and is considering other ways to increase our enrollment in the core program as well as all training programs of the Institute.

The Library of Congress Freud exhibit "Conflict and Culture" is scheduled to come to the Field Museum in Chicago in October 2001. A number of very exciting events and projects are being planned to coincide with the exhibit. James Anderson, Ph.D. of our faculty and Eva Lichtenberg, Ph.D. of the Board of Trustees are co-chairing the Planning Committee. Under consideration are a conference and lectures for the general public and a program for high school students (in conjunction with the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis). The Annual of Psychoanalysis is preparing a special edition with the working title of "Freud and the Modern World," which will contain approximately 18-20 papers, including contributions by Peter Loewenberg on "Freud as Subversive," Glen Gabbard on film, and other nationally recognized authors, as well as members of the Chicago psychoanalytic community. We hope to have a soft-cover edition available for sale at the museum shop when the exhibit opens.

We are pleased to welcome three new members of the Board of Trustees. Harvey Kallick is a partner in the CPA firm of Blackman, Kallick, Bartelstein; Moises Gaviria, M.D. is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Edward Kaufman is a social worker who is on the faculty of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program at the Institute. Welcome aboard to these distinguished members of the greater Chicago community.

Wanted!

Members who wish to donate substantial items to the:

INSTITUTE BENEFIT'S SILENT AUCTION

SEPTEMBER 16, 2000

or who can solicit substantial items.

CONTACT Herb Cibul, M.D.

The Candidate Connection by Judith Lichtenstein, M.D.

Let me use this opportunity to review the candidates' response to the recent passage of the "proposal for modification of the graduation requirement in the special circumstance of a long delay in terminating a case." The candidates received the passage of this proposal with great enthusiasm.

The proposal in effect allows candidates to graduate before one of their control cases terminates. There are some restrictions which are part of the proposal: 1. all requirements for graduation other than termination are completed. 2. the candidate has entered into their seventh year. 3. the candidate is in good academic standing. 4. the candidate agrees to continue supervision throughout this patient's analysis. 5. the candidate agrees to return to present the case at the termination seminar when the treatment is concluded.

This proposal permits candidates to progress by maintaining high standards yet allowing for the practical limitation imposed by an extended complicated analytic case. The candidates see this as a fair and workable solution for it streamlines the process in difficult situations.

Please note that the Chicago candidates will be hosting a soiree here in the city for all candidates at the May meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association. The party is to be at the Palmer House, 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 13, 2000. This location is a change from the previous one. Cost will be $20.00. You can call me or Linda Marino for further information.

Biennial Conference Reviewed by Richard I. Herron, M.D.

Clinical Issues with Lesbians and Gay Men, held on March 18 and 19, 2000 delivered exactly what it promised. An opportunity to hear senior clinicians'detailed case material discussed in an open manner. The conference represented an innovation for the Society as clinicians from Horizons, Pride Institute, PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the Loyola University AIDS Clinic were invited discussants of the featured papers and co-chaired the workshops.

Ralph Roughton, M.D. introduced the summary of his analysis of a gay man done many years previously with a brief recapitulation of the American Psychoanalytic's rethinking of the issue of same-sex relationships. The American's stance moved from considering same-sex relationships as psychopathologic in the 80's to the admission of non-heterosexual candidates in 1993 and the1997 endorsement of a resolution in support of same-sex marriages.

Roughton compared his recent ideas about his patient's efforts to establish a gay life as progressive with his previous intervention which consider the behavior as a defense against the transference.

Bert Cohler, Ph.D. commented upon how changes in clinical work reflect the social and political forces at work in the community. He noted the lack of empirical data to support the trend of therapist self-disclosure of their sexual orientation. Missing as well is data to support the efficacy of the gay and lesbian patient's frequent insistence that the therapist is similarly inclined.

Cohler supported Roughton's earlier remark that " antecdotes are not data." This theme was often reiterated during the day allowing the audience to share in the presenters' clinical experiences learning what they could, unfettered by the need to form overriding theoretical viewpoints.

Marian Tolpin commented upon Roughton's patient's need for "a healthy transference" to energize his patient's search for selfhood. She added how she might deal with some of the clinical issues herself in light of self-psychology.

Lunch proved not only a gastronomic success but was a feast for the intellect as well. Martha Nussbaum, Ph.D. charmed and enlightened us all with her reviewing Plato's Symposium and other archeologic evidence of Greek civilization's approach to male sexual relations. Devoid of the concept of sin, both Sparta and Athens sanctioned sexual relationships between older and younger men. Nussbaum's illustrations of early Greek attitudes were extensive and her scholarship awesome. She employed the same arguments she had used previously as an expert witness in trials to demonstrate that cultures have varying attitudes towards same-sex relationships. Her conclusion: that we, as well as the judicial system, should not be limited by our culture's present consideration of these relationships as deviant but should "use history to free thought."

Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, Ph.D. began the afternoon with two of her lesbian patients' struggles around the issue of having children. The advent of reproductive technologies as well as the liberalization of adoption has opened up new opportunities for same-sex couples to have children. The option of motherhood led her patients to struggle with several significant issues. Those included homophobia and its effects upon the child, the absence of a legal status for the non-pregnant partner, estrangement from the lesbian community which is often childless and the impact upon family life that accompanies children.

The two discussants of her paper were prepared to discuss other issues. This resulted in Barbara Kelly, Psy.D. focusing upon homophobia within the mental health community and Joan Lang, M.D. commenting that she was struck by the fact that these women could procreate without men encouraging the audience to ponder what that implied.

Sandwiched within these presentations were 7 workshops whose details are too numerous to mention.

Sunday's case presentation by R. Dennis Shelby, Ph.D. was a detailed one of a severely deprived gay man who had lost his first lover to AIDS. A needy and depressed man he presented his sexuality in a dramatic fashion hiding his underlying sense of neediness. Self depreciating and embarrassed to express his sexual exploits to his previous therapist, he felt comfortable with Shelby who demonstrated his ability to endure his patients exploits with aplomb and remain steadfast in his efforts.

Ralph Roughton commented on the good fit between Shelby and his patient. For Roughton it is irrelevant as to whether a gay or lesbian's therapist is straight or gay as long as there was a good fit and the therapist was comfortable with the patient's sexual choice and is willing to listen to those unique aspects of the patient's life.

Elisabeth Young-Bruehl felt Shelby's patient's inability to get well resulted from his need to cure his dead internal objects which, as we learned in the presentation were so disturbed themselves to be beyond help. She used object relations theory to explain why Shelby's patient had so many previously unsuccessful treatments and could not sustain himself with his obvious accomplishments in life. The discussion from the floor which followed was wide ranging and of interest to many.

The Society is indebted to the Committee: Drs. James Fisch, chair, Bertram Cohler, Henry Evans, Robert Fajardo, Martin Fine, Phil Lebovitz, Virginia Saft and R. Dennis Shelby and the able assistance of Dottie Jeffries for a stimulating and informative weekend.

Editor...........................Richard I. Herron, M.D.

Assistant to the Editor....Ms. Eva Sandberg

Coming Events:

Chicago Psychoanalytic Society Meetings

Pritzker Auditorium, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Feinberg Pavillion

OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY

May 12 and 13, 2000

The Institute for Psychoanalysis

Conference on Youth and Violence

* The Chicago Cultural Center

(note special location)

June 27, 2000

Presenter: Arnold Goldberg, M.D.

Gaps, Barriers and Splits:

The Psychoanalytic Search for Connection

Discussant: TBA

Northwestern Dental School

240 E. Huron Rm 3380

7:00 pm

Abstract: This paper explores the pictorial imagery that is often used to explain the mind and mental processes. In particular it examines the gap that is said to exist between neurophysiologic and psychologic phenomena, the barrier said to explain the separation of unconscious from preconscious and conscious ideation and the split said to constitute the essentials of disavowal and denial. In each of these visual renditions, the claim is made that there is a logical contradiction, which stems from linear thinking. In addition the paper aims to suggest to the reader that the proper appreciation of these erroneous images might remove present-day futile efforts to pursue solutions based upon these images.

sigmund freud

"..every dream reveals itself as a psychical structure which has a meaning and which can be inserted at an assignable point in the mental activities of waking life."
Sigmund Freud
(The Interpretation of Dreams, 1900 )

CPS Events

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
National Louis University, 122 S. Michigan Avenue, Room 5006.

“Jim Dine: A Psychoanalytic Perspective On His Art”

Presenters:
Samuel Weiss, M.D.
Harry Trosman, M.D.

Find out more...

Plan Future Meetings..

Member News

Chicago Psychoanalytic Society, 645 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 280-0447
www.chicagopsychoanalyticsociety.org
Contact Person: Christine Kieffer, Ph.D., ABPP
Email: CCKPHD@aol.com

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Websites for Mental Health Professionals

Revised: 02/02/08