Current President's Report 2009-10

The Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis

Annual Business Meeting

October 28, 2009

President’s Report

The past year has been productive and rewarding for our Institute and Society.

Three stimulating weekend events were held. On October 4, 2008, Dr. Anthony Bass, President of the Stephen A. Mitchell Center for Relational Studies in New York City commenced the year’s Visiting Scholar Series. He delivered our Annual Stephen Mitchell Memorial Lecture: Analytic Love and the Dialogue of Unconsciouses. On January 17, 2009, Dr. Steven Cooper, Joint Editor-in-Chief of Psychoanalytic Dialogues conducted a workshop entitled Reflections on Privacy, Reverie and the Termination Process. On May 25, 2009, Dr. Stephen Seligman (San Francisco) led our year-end event on Attachment, Intersubjectivity, and Mentalization: Clinical and Developmental Implications.

Monthly scientific meetings were coordinated by Drs. Gary Rodin and Scott Bishop. Discussions were always spirited and enlightening. September 20, 2008 was a special retirement celebration for Dr. Eliott Markson. In a lovely talk entitled Gratitude, Dr. Markson reviewed and shared the key events in the development of his career and his clinical thinking. On October 1, Dr. Bruce Herzog gave a talk, “Your’re giving me what I need, but I have no place to put it: Challenging pathological relational templates through analytic provision. On November 2, Prof. Bruce Fink from Duquesne University conducted a half-day workshop on “Contrasting Relational and Lacanian Approaches.” On Dec. 6, Dr. Jeffrey Rubin (New York) conducted another Saturday workship, “How to stay sane in an insane world: Integrating insights from psychoanalysis, Buddhism and yoga.” On January 7, 2009, Dr. Sam Izenberg (TICP) presented, “How to Teach Psychoanalysis…Revised.” February 4, Prof. Clive Thomson (TICP) and Dr. Doron Almagor (TPS) discussed “The masochistic woman does not exist: Freudian and Lacanian perspectives on love and the other jouissance: a clinical case.” On March 4, Kate Harper (TICP) presented “Freud’s Project for a Scientific Psychology: Model of an Early Neuronal Network: Does it have something to offer neuropsychoanalysis?” On May 6, Dr. Howard Gorman (TICP) led a discussion of his paper, “An intention-based definition of psychoanalytic attitude: what does it look like, how does it grow?”

Study groups for graduates, faculty, candidates, and guests continue to provide yet another stimulating mode for continuing education. Monthly meetings were held on: Relational Psychoanalysis (Dr. Hazel Ipp); Winnicott and Post-Winnicott (Dr. Ann Baranowski); Cinema and Psychoanalysis (Dr. Deborah Levine); and Neuropsychoanalysis (Dr. Scott Bishop).

Our first Extension Course was held in this fall. Coordinated by Dr. Sarah Turnbull, it was entitled The Couch Under the Bo Tree: Psychoanalysis in Dialogue with Buddhism. Faculty were Drs. Dan Merkur, Keith Haartman, Robert Besner, with special guest, Dr. Jeffrey Rubin. This course was so well received that discussions are under way concerning a possible sequel.

We continue to collaborate with a number of other psychoanalytic groups, both locally and abroad. In September, we cosponsored the Thirteenth Annual Day in Applied Psychoanalysis with Trinity College, University of Toronto, the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society, and the Psychotherapy Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. This year’s topic was Blood Remembering: Psychoanalysis and Poetry. The keynote speaker was Prof. Robert Pinsky (Boston University). Dr. Salman Akhtar (Philadelphia) served as special guest faculty.

Riding on the success of our Fourth Joint International Conference at the University of British Columbia, plans are in full swing for the Fifth JIC. It will take place in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 6-8, 2010. It will be hosted with the psychoanalytic societies of the William Alanson White Institute, New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Adelphi University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the Scottish Institute for Human Relations. Another challenging theme has been chosen, Failure: Psychoanalytic Explorations.

Besides our ongoing encouragement of scholarly research and presentations, we have also been actively engaged in a number of publishing ventures. A book, Taboo or Not Taboo? Forbidden Thoughts, Forbidden Acts in Psychoanalysis (Karnac Books: London, 2009) based on our Joint International Conference at Niagara-on-the-Lake, came out this May. Another volume, based on the Trinity College Dublin symposium, On Deaths and Endings: Psychoanalysts’ Reflections on Finality, Transformation, and New Beginnings (London: Routledge, 2007) has been honoured with the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis’ 2008 Gradiva Award for Best Anthology. A book on our latest conference, Loneliness and Yearnings, is in process. Dr. Brent Willock (TICP) serves as lead editor for these works. Drs. Lori C. Bohm (William Alanson White Institute) and Rebecca C. Curtis (Adelphi University) are co-editors. A volume based on the Cape Town conference, Power and its Discontents, is being assembled by Drs. Glenys Lobban, Michael O’Loughlin, and Cora Smith. Another recent book, Comparative-Integrative Psychoanalysis (New York: The Analytic Press, 2007) by Brent Willock also reflects much about our Institute’s values and philosophy.

For their diligent, creative efforts over the past twelve months, great thanks are due to the Chairs of all our standing committees: Dr. Hazel Ipp (Admissions), Dr. Judi Kobrick (Candidate Progress), Dr. Sam Izenberg (Ethics), Dr. Gary Rodin (Scientific Program & Scholarly Papers), Dr. Sarah Turnbull (Society Development Committee), Dr. Scott Bishop (Marketing & Outreach; Scientific Program), and Dr. Ann Baranowski (Curriculum). Our finances continue to be in respectable shape thanks to the conscientious labour of our Treasurer, Dr. Scott Bishop. Our Secretary, Dr. Nira Kolers, continues to perform many valuable services, including liason with all support staff. Drs. Kadri-Ann Laar and Neomi Stein provided very useful service to the community and candidates by coordinating our Referral Service. Neomi Offman has kept our financial transactions and other matters humming along. After many years of fine service as our Administrative Coordinator, Donna Woodhouse has moved on to other pursuits. With her usual thoroughness, she arranged for a smooth transition to our new coordinator, Suzanne Pearen.

In sum, the past year has witnessed many continuing, meaningful developments for of our Society and Institute. Our Board, committees, faculty, graduates, candidates, and others have given generously of their time, energy, and thoughtfulness to make all this happen. Their contributions are deeply appreciated. These spirited efforts have sustained the high quality of our endeavours. Everyone can feel proud of all that has been accomplished. Thank you.

Respectfully submitted,

Brent Willock, Ph.D., C.Psych.