Ontological Psychoanalysis: From Knowing to Being and Becoming

Over the course of exploring the foundations of contemporary psychoanalytic theory, we have found a repeated return to a fundamental distinction between an epistemological framing and an ontological framing of psychoanalytic theory and praxis.

This field is required.
This field is required.

8 Sessions: Wednesdays, Apr. 10, 17; May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; June 5, 2024
Time: 7:30-9:00 pm EDT 

This courses will only be held in-person at BPSI. 

Ontological Psychoanalysis: From Knowing to Being and Becoming 

Over the course of exploring the foundations of contemporary psychoanalytic theory, we have found a repeated return to a fundamental distinction between an epistemological framing and an ontological framing of psychoanalytic theory and praxis. Although this is something recently thematized by Ogden (2019, 2020) in a reconnaissance of his thinking over the years, it reflects a growing recognition of a transition in how we think and work as psychoanalysts, something that captures key reconceptualizations and modes of practice that have been part of our field for a long time.

In this seminar, rather than retrace the diachronic history of this change, we hope to engage participants in a synchronic experience of working from a stance that changes our relationship between knowing (epistemology) and being (ontology). The relationship we hope to develop and experience might be best understood in the synergistic connection: knowing > being > knowing, where the second form of knowing is in fact, being <-> knowing.

Given that this seminar focuses on the process of being and becoming and is continually evolving, we welcome participants who have joined us in prior years!


Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the difference between epistemological psychoanalysis and ontological psychoanalysis.
  2. Explain how faith is an ontological concept in psychoanalysis.
  3. Describe how “psyche” and “soma” are two interdependent parts of an experience that is ontological.
  4. List three features of Winnicott’s approach that offer perspectives of ontological becoming.
  5. Describe the relationship between existential anxiety, moodedness, and being-in-the-world.
  6. Compare and contrast psychoanalytic listening with daseinsanalytic listening.
  7. List key differences when listening as a function of knowing and when listening as a function of being.
  8. Describe the experience between patient and analyst of “becoming informed by being-with.”

Instructors

Jack Foehl, PhD

is Past-President, Training and Supervising Analyst, BPSI; Associate Professor, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and Joint Editor in Chief, Psychoanalytic Dialogues.

Chris Lovett, PhD
is Faculty, Explorations in Mind program; BPSI and Board of Directors, The Boston Group for Psychoanalytic Studies.

This course is open to beginning and intermediate licensed mental health clinicians and trainees on the path to licensure. Continuing Education will not be offered for this program.

Scholarships are available for BPSI programs.

FEE:

$375 Course Fee
$50 Early Career Clinicians, Residents and Students
$350 Early Bird (available until 03/18/2024) Use Code at Checkout: EB2024OP

The fee is waived for BPSI Members, Trainees, and Partners. Scholarships are available upon request.

 
This program is made possible by the generous support of BPSI members and friends. Your gift to BPSI supports psychoanalytic and psychotherapy education and ensures the future of our field. To help fund programs like this, please click here.
 
 
Program Administrator
Stephanie Cavanaugh: scavanaugh@bpsi.org

Program Chair
Holly Friedman Housman, LICSW: holly@housman.org
 

Continuing Education will not be offered for this program.
 
Explorations in Mind: Community Education at BPSI is made possible by the generous support of BPSI Members and friends. To make a gift to BPSI, contact Carole Nathan (cnathan@bpsi.org or 617-266-0953 x101),
go to www.bpsi.org, or send mail to BPSI, 141 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459.
 
Event Cancellation Policies & Procedures
Any program participant requesting their individual program registration be canceled, must submit their request in writing via email to Stephanie Cavanaugh at scavanaugh@bpsi.org. For fee-based events, a request for cancellation (and refund using the original form of payment) must be received no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. Requests received later than 48 hours prior to the event will not be processed or accepted. All approved refunds are subject to a $10.00 administrative fee. If BPSI cancels an event, all registrants will receive a full refund of fees paid (no administration charge) no later than two business days following the scheduled date of the event, using the original form of payment.
 
Grievance Policy
Please address any questions or concerns about your experience at this or any program or event you have attended at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute to the Program Chair(s), via the Senior Administrator/Continuing Education Administrator, BPSI, 141 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459; team@bpsi.org; 617.266.0953.
 
The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Inc., 141 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459, does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin or handicap in the admissions to or administration of its educational programs, scholarship programs or employment.
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