Film & Mind: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
**PACIFIC TIME** : October 10, 2025, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
*** Registration will close at 4:30 PM the day of the event. No registrations are possible after this time, no exceptions. *** See our Policy page for more info.
PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- You will receive confirmation and details by email. Contact Byrd at byrdb@n-c-p.org if you have questions.
- The program presentation runs from 8 PM to 9:30 PM
- This program is being presented Online Only.
- A signature is required (in the meeting Chat) for CE/CME Credit.
- 1.5 CE/CME credits are offered for this program.
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (2024) written, co-produced and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof won them Special Jury Prize of 2024 Cannes Int’l Film Festival. The film centers on a family thrust into the public eye when the father is appointed as an investigating judge in Tehran, as political unrest erupts in the streets. When the judge’s gun mysteriously disappears, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties.
We will discuss themes of paranoid psychology, psychological splitting, intergenerational trauma, and the implications of the title which refers to a species of fig that spreads by "wrapping itself around another tree and eventually strangling it.” From a psychodynamic perspective, the father’s psychological deterioration represents the internalization of state paranoia, where external political threats become projected onto intimate family relationships.
The film is particularly relevant as it was filmed in secret over 70 days from late December 2023 to March 2024 with real TikTok and Instagram videos of the bedlam interwoven with the narrative connecting individual psychological drama to actual political resistance movements in Iran.
Where to watch:
Hulu and Disney+ (subscriptions), AppleTV, Amazon Prime, and others
Schedule:
*** All times listed are Pacific Time (PT) ***
Discussion (on Zoom): 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM - We will hear from our discussants and explore the film together.
We will not watch the film together prior to the discussion. Participants should watch the film beforehand or begin screening on their own before 6:15 pm PT.
Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this session, participants should be able to:
- Discuss how, from a psychodynamic perspective, the father’s psychological deterioration represents the internalization of state paranoia, where external political threats become projected onto intimate family relationships.
- Discuss how psychological splitting manifests as increasing authoritarianism within the family unit, such that the father cannot integrate his loving paternal identity with his imposed role as an instrument of state violence.
- Define role dialectics and the role of defense mechanisms therein and analyze and discuss the polarization of dualities in roles in family dynamics, culture and political systems during a social movement.
Bibliography:
De Toni, A.F., Zollo, G., De Zan, A. (2023) Organizational paradoxes and metamorphosis in collective action. Systems, 2023 - mdpi.com 11(5), 241;
https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11050241
Baxter, L. A. (2004). A Tale of Two Voices: Relational Dialectics Theory. Journal of Family Communication, 4(3–4), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2004.9670130
Tohidi, Nayereh. (2023). Iran in a Transformative Process by Woman, Life, Freedom. Freedom of Thought Journal. 29-57. 10.53895/ftj1314.
Program Coordinators:
Thomas Brod, MD, Apurva Shah, MD and Mary Starks, MA, LPCC
Discussants:
Jack Brennan, LMFT is an advanced candidate in psychoanalysis at the New Center, Los Angeles, and a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in LA. Jack is a community sociologist by education and training in rural northern California and Vermont, and holds two masters degrees including practicing sociology and counseling psychology with an emphasis on community mental health. In addition to his work in LA, Jack is involved in Lacanian psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic formation at large — as a collaborator with SPIIRAL and training participant in Lacanian Psychoanalysis at the École Freudienne of Quebec, as well as a long term member and co-facilitator of the seminar series “Lacanian Thought in the Nonprofit and Public Clinic” in collaboration with the SF Bay Area Lacanian School. Jack was an MFT consortium MHSA award recipient in 2016 for culturally sensitive and dedicated work with underserved and marginalized populations in community mental health settings, and in 2024, was awarded the Elyn Saks scholarship from the New Center for his work in applications of psychoanalysis to the study and treatment of psychosis and severity.
Shahin Sakhi, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist in private practice, and an assistant clinical professor at UCLA psychiatry department from 2007 to 2024. He supervises therapists and psychiatrists internationally. He is a certified consultant from AK Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems. He has directed experiential group relations conferences on decision-making while dealing with biases and uncertainty. He also holds a graduate certificate from Human Complex Systems program at UCLA. He did his PhD studies in molecular neurobiology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, studying genetic expressions during a specific neuronal death called neuronal apoptosis. He is interested in raising consciousness about the link between mental health, lifestyle, and global effort in transforming our socioeconomic life in a way that our children could enjoy life in a child centered culture of peace.
IMPORTANT:
- This is online only. It will be held via Zoom.
- Pre-registration is required.
- Target audience: Mental health professionals and open to the public interested in psychoanalytic perspectives. Open to members and the community.
- Level: Every level.
- 1.5 CE/CME credits offered.
- Signature is required for Continuing Education Credit. Zoom attendees must "sign" in and out at the beginning and end of the discussion in the Zoom Meeting Chat to receive credit.
- You will receive a confirmation and event-details message by email after registering. Contact Byrd at byrdb@n-c-p.org if you have questions.
FEES:
$25 with CE Credit
$15 without Credit
Free for NCP Psychoanalysts-in-Training and Students
"How do I get my CE/CME Credit?"
- Pre-Register below
- If you are registering for the first time you will receive a welcome email. You must follow the directions in this email to complete your registration in order to access your certificates.
- "Sign" in and "sign" out during the event (by typing your full name into the chat). This is how we record your attendance at the event.
- Wait 10 business days.
- Download your Certificate on the NCP website.
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT
PHYSICIANS: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and the New Center for Psychoanalysis. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The APsA CE Committee has reviewed the materials for accredited continuing education and has determined that this activity is not related to the product line of ineligible companies and therefore, the activity meets the exception outlined in Standard 3: ACCME's identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationship. This activity does not have any known commercial support.
PSYCHOLOGISTS: The New Center for Psychoanalysis is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The New Center for Psychoanalysis maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Psychologists must report CE credits directly to MCEP using the attendance certificate to verify attendance. Please note that a psychologist must attend the CE program in its entirety in order to receive credit.
SOCIAL WORKERS, MARRIAGE and FAMILY THERAPISTS (LCSW, LMFT, ASW, IMF, LEP, LPCC, PCCI): The New Center for Psychoanalysis offers continuing education via the organizations listed above whose requirements meet the course content requirements set by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (see 16 CCR section 1887.4.0 for General CE Course Content Requirements). Acceptance of the CE credits for this activity is at the discretion of the licensing board.