Brought to you the Sacramento Psychoanalytic Society
Does psychoanalysis, philosophy and neuroscience have anything to say about today's fractured and contentious world? Could they help point to a way out?
In a series of dialogues, we will explore the concepts of paranoia, propaganda and dialogue from psychoanalytic, neurobiologic, and social constructivist standpoints in the hope of furthering an exploration of our current world situation and what, if anything, can be done about it.
To help maintain an active discussion, the number of participants will be limited to the 12 people. For continuity, we are asking participants to make every effort to be able to attend all the meetings.
The cost is $60 total for the three meetings. There will be a reduced price for students.
Those who sign up will receive an information packet with articles and links pertaining to the discussions prior to the event.
Participants must be fully vaccinated and be asymptomatic to participate in this in-person discussion.
To register: www.sacpsychoanalytic.org
Meeting 1: Paranoia.
Thursday September 22nd 6:15-8pm
In this session we will have an introduction to the series in general and explore the concept of paranoia through the relationship between Melanie Klein and her daughter, Melitta Schmideberg and their role in the ‘Controversial Discussions’ (October 1942 and February 1944) which resulted in the field of psychoanalysis being split into pieces. This should allow us to explore paranoia from the perspectives of neurobiology, evolutionary theory, socio-constructivism and psychoanalytic perspectives.
Meeting 2: Propaganda.
Thursday September 29th 6:15-8pm
In this session we will explore propaganda through an examination of the life of Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud and one of the key founders of modern advertising (he was celebrated as one of the 20th century’s most influential people by Life Magazine). Through his well-documented life and work, we will explore the infancy of modern uses of propaganda and the impacts of such socio-cultural manipulations on individuals, our society and the world.
Meeting 3: Dialogue.
Thursday October 6th 6:15-8pm
In this session we will explore the concept of Dialogue and its role as a fundamental building block of thought itself. First explored through concepts such as the Hegelian Dialectic, Vygotsky’s co-construction of memory, Bion’s work in groups, and David Bohm (the noted quantum theorist), we will further explore such concepts as truth and reconciliation and modern dialogical theory to explore both the clinical power and limitations of dialogue as a possible method of remediation for the current state of disrepair in our modern psychological world.
To register: www.sacpsychoanalytic.org
John Thor Cornelius, M.D. graduated in engineering and then trained as a psychiatrist at the University of California at Davis. He worked in multiple hospital and out-patient psychiatric settings, including as the medical director of an intensive services program in Sacramento, California before going on to complete his psychoanalytic training at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. He is a personal and supervising analyst at PINC, adjunct faculty at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and served as clinical faculty at the University of California, Davis where he has been the instructor of a yearlong course on Psychoanalysis to 3rd year residents. He leans on the psychoanalytic perspectives of Winnicott, Bion and Contemporary Field Theory in combination with his psychiatric training and a study of neuroscience in the treatment of dissociation, trauma, mood disorders, psychosis and other forms of psychological distress.
His publications span the fields of philosophy, neuroscience, psychoanalysis, and the application of scientific evidence. He has also hosted a number of lectures on YouTube where he explores the intersection of psychoanalysis, neuroscience and the scientific evidence base.
Best regards,
Sacramento Psychoanalytic Society
To register: www.sacpsychoanalytic.org
