The 6th Annual James Grotstein Memorial Lecture Series Part I: Revisiting Bion's Classic Papers from his London Period
February 6, 2021, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This meeting will take place online via Zoom. Once you register, you will receive an email with the link and more information.
*** Registration will close at 4:00 PM the day before the event. No registrations are possible after this time.
All times listed are in Pacific Standard Time (PST)
The New Center for Psychoanalysis and the Regional Bion Symposium proudly present:
The 6th Annual James Grotstein Memorial Lecture Series
As part of its Annual James Grotstein Memorial Lectures, this series honors James Grotstein’s work and the work of generations of other analysts who have followed up Bion’s leads in clinical psychoanalysis. After examining some of these ‘post-Bionian’ developments last year in Italian Field Theory, we return to Wilfred Bion’s analytic homeland in London, having another look at some of his foundational papers written while he was a member of the Melanie Klein group from 1945 to 1968.
Revisiting Bion's Classic Papers from his London Period
Part 1: ‘Wilfred Bion’s (1955) ‘On Group Dynamics,’ and (1950) ‘The Imaginary Twin.’ with Professor Robert Hinshelwood and Joseph Aguayo
There is one overarching question addressed in the presentations on such classic papers as: 'On Group Dynamics' and 'The Imaginary Twin.' Can Bion's psychoanalytic technique in dealing with both group and individual patients be explained and made explicit? Our two presenters are members or guest members of the British Psychoanalytical Society in London. Each in turn will examine one Bion paper, attempting to distill what his method of clinical inquiry was in the consulting room. The two types of patients seen by Bion in the post-World War II period were either out-patients in groups or individuals in psychoanalytic treatment. During this time, Bion both actively participated in delineating what was emerging in the 1950s as a "Kleinian point of view" in understanding and treating psychotic states of mind.
In the first presentation on Feb. 6th, 2021 (9 am-10:30 am, Pacific Standard Time) Professor Robert Hinshelwood examines Bion's (1955) paper, 'On Group Dynamics,' culling what he regards as Bion's method and ways of dealing with groups against the conceptual backdrop of Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory alongside Bion’s collaboration with John Rickman. Hinshelwood addresses questions like: how did his views of groups lead up to the (1955) paper; what did Bion mean by ‘taking a group,’ basic assumptions and how did he deploy his countertransference in understanding how the group shaped its unconscious image of leadership and authority? There will be ample opportunity for a Q and A following the presentation, (9:50 to 10:30 a.m.).
Coffee break, (10:30 to 10:40 a.m.)
In the second half of the presentation, (10:40 to 11:20 a.m.) Joseph Aguayo examines Bion's (1950) 'The Imaginary Twin,' the first psychoanalytic case study written up by Bion, one that demonstrated how his method was influenced by Melanie Klein, with whom he was in analysis from 1945-1953. Other influential mentors were his supervisor, Paula Heimann (in terms of countertransference analysis) and John Rickman (in terms of unconscious role-relationships). Is there a way we can understand how Bion went about his process of inquiry in treating his patients? Clues can be gleaned from how Bion presented his analytic case of a patient who psychically and emotionally hid in plain sight, which in part led to a series of false starts on the analyst’s part in ascertaining what felt psychologically truthful to the patient. Aguayo also maintains that the ‘Twin’ paper is a portal to Bion’s enduring preoccupation with understanding and treating psychotic states of mind throughout the 1950s.
From 11:20 to 12 Noon, there will be a brief interaction between Hinshelwood and Aguayo, which precedes a general discussion with online colleagues about various points involved in both presentations.
The program moderators are: John Lundgren, M.D. and Agnes Regeczkey, Ph.D.
When you register for this event, you will receive copies of the two Bion papers that will be discussed in your Notification of Registration email.
This event will be recorded and shared with participants who have registered for the event. The video may also be used for educational purposes. If you do not wish to be recorded, please turn your camera off. By registering for this event, you grant permission to THE NEW CENTER FOR PSYCHOANALYSIS to the rights of your images, in video or still, and of the likeness and sound of your voice as recorded on audio or video.
Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this session, participants should be able to:
- Explain how Lewin’s Field Theory concepts influenced how Bion approached the understanding of small groups.
- Describe how Bion deployed his understanding of countertransference in ‘difficult to treat’ patients.’
- Describe how Bion was able to access the ‘Imaginary Twin’s’ psychotic state of mind during the course of analyzing him.
Presenters:
Professor Robert Hinshelwood is Emeritus Professor of Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex, and worked in the British National Health Service for 30 years, including a period as Director of the Cassel Hospital. Central among his numerous and prolific publications that span over 35 years is the classic Dictionary of Kleinian Thought, which revised by a team of Kleinian analysts led by Elizabeth Spillius in 2011. He has co-edited a volume with Nino Torres, Bion’s Sources, (Routledge, 2013). And Research on the Couch (2013), and in 2016, Countertransference and Alive Moments. He enjoys traveling and lecturing in all three IPA regions around the world. He is also a specialist in the history of Kleinian and Bionian psychoanalysis.
Joseph Aguayo, PhD, is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California, a Member of the New Center for Psychoanalysis, and in private practice in West Los Angeles. He is also a Guest Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society in London. Forthcoming publications: Introducing the Clinical Work of W.R. Bion. This book is based on a series of 16 video lectures given to Chinese students of psychoanalysis in Shanghai—and the main focus on the book is a close examination of how Bion went about his work both in the consulting room—and how he theorized his findings in a revision of the Kleinian and Freudian traditions. Recent presentations include participation on two Bion panels at the July, 2019 International Psychoanalytic Congress in London. In February, 2020, he presented a paper on ‘Bion’s approach to group dynamics’ as part of the Oral History Workshop at the Winter Meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association in New York City.
Moderators
John Lundgren, MD, is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California and an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine. He formerly served as Co-Director of the Group Relations Training course at UCLA Department of Psychiatry. He is a member of the A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems and its West Coast affiliate, GREX. He serves as a consultant to Tavistock group relations conferences and is presently exploring the integration of this training model and psychoanalytic training. He is in private practice in Los Angeles. Recent publications include “Intervention in an institute at a crossroads: A methodology and rationale”. Int. J. Psycho-Analysis, (2019), 100(4): 674-692. and “A place were Psychoanalysts Live: Introducing Group Relations to Psychoanalytic Institutes” In Belgirate V - The Place where We Live: the space for Group Relations (In Press).
Agnes Regeczkey, LMFT, PhD, is in private practice in Palos Verdes, California. She continues her research and training as a Clinical Associate for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis at the New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles. She teaches research and dissertation development and is a research coordinator at Reiss-Davis Graduate Center, Los Angeles. Current academic research includes how psychoanalysis may be used as preventative and therapeutic treatment modality for young children and their families. Publications: with Joseph Aguayo, she published, “Small Group Collaborators and Adversaries in the London Kleinian Development,” Psychoanalytic Quarterly, July 2016. She is a co-editor with Joseph Aguayo and Lia Pistiner de Cortinas of Bion in Buenos Aires: Seminars, Case Presentation and Supervision, (Karnac, 2017). Presented at both the IPA 50th Congress in Buenos Aires, July 2015 and the IPA 51st Congress in London, (The Feminine, July 21, 2019) she presented an individual paper, “Rethinking the Ladies’ Agreement in Light of a Child Session Evaluation.
Program Coordinators: Joseph Aguayo, Ph.D. and Agnes Regeczkey, Ph.D.
Target audience: Experienced mental health professionals
3 CE/CME Credits
General Registration: $110 for members, $75 for candidates and students
Part II of this series on March 20th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (PST). It features Sira Dermen and Nicola Abel-Hirsch, both Training and Supervising Analysts at the British Psychoanalytical Society, and who will continue the discussion of Bion’s clinical work.
Click here to register for Part II
"How do I get my CE/CME Credit?"
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CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME/CE program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
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