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

Three stimulating weekend events were held. On September 26, 2009, Dr. Charles Spezzano commenced the year’s Visiting Scholar Series by delivering our 2009 Stephen Mitchell Memorial Lecture with a talk entitled: Steve Mitchell and the New York Gang.  In the afternoon, he presented his work on A Home for the Mind. On January 9, 2010, Dr. Neil Altman offered the 2010 Memorial Lecture, entitled Psychoanalysis in Cultural Context: Bion, his Theory, and War.  In the afternoon, he discussed a challenging case presented by Dr. Keith Haartman. On May 29, 2010, Dr. Darlene Ehrenberg led our year-end workshop on Working at the Intimate Edge.

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Monthly scientific meetings were coordinated by Drs. Gary Rodin and Scott Bishop.  Discussions were always spirited and enlightening. On October 21, 2009, Dr. Gabriella Mann from Israel’s discussed The Area of Faith in Psychoanalysis: Beyond Intersubjectivity.  On November 14, Dr. Chana Ullman from Israel discussed Fear of Metamorphosis: Between Resistance and Adaptive Protection of Selfhood and Otherness.  On January 13, 2010, Dr. John Sloane presented The Loneliness of the Analyst and its Alleviation through Faith in O. The discussant that evening was Dr. Keith Haartman.  On February 3, Dr. Bruce Herzog discussed Defiance, Creativity and the Origins of Resilience.  On March 3, Prof. Marsha Hewitt presented Psychoanalysis, Society and the Fiction of the Empty Self: A Response to Philip Cushman.  On April 7, Dr. Karl Loszak presented The Mind Has Legs: From Biology to Intersubjectivity. On May 5, Dr. Judith Levene presented Empathy Revisited.

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); Cinema and Psychoanalysis (Dr. Deborah Levine); Neuropsychoanalysis (Dr. Scott Bishop), and a Writer's Study Group (Drs. Judith Levene and Ann Baranowski).

We continue to collaborate with a number of other psychoanalytic groups, both locally and abroad. On October 3, we cosponsored the Fifteenth 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 Addictive Desire: Internet Porn, Sexual Fantasy and Psychoanalysis. The keynote speaker was Dr. Norman Doidge. 

In June, Dr. Hazel Ipp coordinated our hosting a conference in Siracusa, Sicily with Rome’s Institute for Self and Relational Psychoanalysis, the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles’ Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis, and New York’s Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity.  The symposium was focused around two plays that were performed in the ancient Greek amphitheatre, Sophocles’ Ajax and Euripides’ Phaedra (also called Hyppolytus Who Wears the Crown). The symposium was entitled All the Gods Must be Honored: The Dilemmas of Multiplicity in Tragedy and Psychoanalysis.

Our Fifth Joint International Conference took place at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, August 6-8. This event was co-hosted with the Scottish Institute for Human Relations and 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. Another challenging theme was chosen for this event: Failure: Psychoanalytic Explorations. 

Besides our ongoing encouragement of scholarly research and presentations, we have also been actively engaged in a number of publishing ventures. Our book, Taboo or Not Taboo? Forbidden Thoughts, Forbidden Acts in Psychoanalysis (Karnac Books: London, 2009) came out in May and has been nominated by the Awards Jury of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis for their Gradiva Award for Best Clinical Book of the year. In November, 2009, another volume, On Deaths and Endings: Psychoanalysts’ Reflections on Finality, Transformation, and New Beginnings (London: Routledge, 2007) was honoured with the 2008 Gradiva Award for Best Anthology. Our book, Loneliness and Longings: Psychoanalytic Reflections, is currently in press with Routledge. Dr. Brent Willock serves as lead editor for these works.  Dr. Lori C. Bohm (William Alanson White Institute) and Prof. Rebecca C. Curtis (Adelphi University) are co-editors.   A volume based on our 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 (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. Our new administrative coordinator, Suzanne Pearen, has quickly become accustomed to the complexities of our organization.

In sum, the past year has witnessed many continuing, meaningful developments for 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 endeavour. Everyone can feel proud of all that has been accomplished.

Respectfully submitted,

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