PSYCHOANALYSIS

In this seminar, participants will practice unraveling the logic of the dream through writing elaborations. Following Freud and Lacan, we will consider the dream as a rupture of the unconscious from an Other scene, not as a narrative with a hidden meaning. Dreams embody the perpetual writing of the unconscious on the drives of the body, the Real of language, and the transformation of symptoms. We invite participants to present dream sequences across multiple sessions. What rupture may have constructed the dream? What signifiers already present in the analysis did it evoke or elaborate? If there is a navel in the dream, what is the navel? If the dream is a nightmare, where was it interrupted? Is there a second navel created around the associations? What drives of the body may have been mobilized? The case we are exploring here is not a case study of the patient, but the case of the-analyst-in training working under constraints of the Lacanian clinic and transference. Is it possible to articulate dream logic in a way that races a tiny bit ahead of the Real? This seminar aims to give a space to participants to play with impressions and experiences that can be so difficult to wrap our minds around. Writing can be employed as a scaffolding to develop a sense for the effects of our interventions.Our writings will develop from experiences we aim to provoke in class. ​Respecting the limits of language and the unknown unsayable that comes with dreams, we will listen to the presenter in the place of the analyst speaking to the logic that is at work in her or his interventions. The aim of the seminar is to develop a condensed 10-minute writing that highlights the dream logic. When: Monthly, September to April, 1st Fridays, 9-11 am Pacific Standard time Registration Information >

In this seminar participants will present clinical sessions that include dreams. Following Freud and Lacan, we will consider the dream as a rupture of the unconscious from an Other scene, not as a narrative with a hidden meaning. The seminar will consider the field of the Other and the place of the analyst in guiding the analysand to hear the rupture of a dream and its signifiers through the fundamental rule of free association. We invite participants to bring something close to verbatim sessions that include dreams and dream fragments. What rupture may have constructed the dream? What signifiers already present in the analysis did it evoke or elaborate? If there is a navel in the dream, what is the navel? If the dream is a nightmare, where was it interrupted? Is there a second navel created around the associations? What drives of the body may have been mobilized? The case we are exploring here is not a case study of the patient, but the case of the-analyst-in training working under constraints of the Lacanian clinic and transference. We will ask presenters to speak about each time the analyst speaks or remains silent, and to explain these interventions in the unfolding dream work. We will also ask for the subsequent session, including any new dream, so that we can learn something of the effects of the interventions. ​ Respecting the limits of language and the unknown unsayable that comes with dreams, we will listen to the presenter in the place of the analyst speaking to the logic that is at work in her or his interventions. The aim of the seminar is to develop a condensed 10-minute writing that highlights the dream logic.

In this seminar we invite you to consider dream theory as the navel of psychoanalytic work. As Freud remarks, dream elements are “ungenuine things, substitutes for something else that is unknown to the dreamer, substitutes for something the knowledge of which is present in the dreamer but which is inaccessible to him.” (Freud, Introductory Lectures, Pg 113). Dreams could be thought of as little satchels of material produced for the analyst. They are marvelous snippets of utterly unconscious material that can fuel analytic work in a way very little else can. Dreams embody the perpetual writing of the unconscious on the drives of the body, the Real of language, and the transformation of symptoms. Readings will introduce you to the central importance of work with dreams in the Lacanian clinic. We will begin by reading Freud’s theory of dreams and their interpretation and follow with Lacan's linguistic elaborations. Seminar participants will be encouraged to elaborate their understandings of condensation, displacement, repetition, and transference through creative writing exercises in between and during each seminar meeting. The seminar aims to increase your confidence in working with dreams and their relation to desire and drive. We ask seminar participants to read the following texts before our first meeting. Additional readings will be added for future meetings. Please sign up no later than December 15th so that we can assign a reading and short writing assignment prior to our first meeting.

Cecile Gouffrant McKenna Fernando Castrillon Stephanie Swales Jeremy Soh Courtney Douds Hannah Patricia Bennett

European Journal of Psychoanalysis Division Review Anamorphosis The Anus, an FAQ Lacan Online

LSP DasUnbehagen Apres Coup APW

Derek Hook’s YouTube Channel ​ Why Theory Podcast ​ Todd McGowan’s YouTube Channel Don Kunze's YouTube Channel