Psychoanalysis and the Future of the Clinic

Quick Overview

Psychoanalysis is experiencing a resurgence, driven by a renewed focus on its radical, ethical, and collective roots, challenging its historical whiteness, unaffordability, and individualistic approach to become a liberatory tool accessible to all and deeply engaged with social and political realities.

Key Points: Psychoanalysis, once declining due to competition from quicker treatments like CBT and issues of whiteness and unaffordability, is now experiencing a moment of experimentation and traction with social movements. Hannah Bear's research reveals psychoanalysis has 'occluded spiritual roots' in Judaism, particularly Kabbalah, where concepts of a broken self needing retrieval through dialogue mirror psychoanalytic healing, hidden due to anti-Semitism and assimilation. Hannah Evens argues that for psychoanalysis to change, it requires 'true parity for mental health insurance' and a 'return to the social,' moving beyond individual pathology to address broader societal oppressions. Lara Shihab-Eldin highlights that in Palestine, clinicians demonstrate an 'ethical commitment to the care and Humanity of All Peoples while under settler Colonial condition,' viewing psychoanalysis as a political movement for 'steadfastness' (samud). The 'red clinic' model, which commits practitioners to seeing people for free and redistributing wealth, offers a practical path for making psychoanalysis more accessible and politically aligned. Speakers emphasize that psychoanalysis must disrupt its 'purest forms' and 'antiquated way of thinking about space' (e.g., 4-5 times a week in-person) to align with social movements and address current global crises like fascism and climate catastrophe. A radical, collectively oriented psychoanalysis involves clinicians working collaboratively and communally, integrating the material reality of oppression into the therapeutic room, and moving beyond individualistic or bureaucratic practice models.

Context: This discussion, hosted by Jewish Currents, explores the contemporary resurgence of psychoanalysis, examining its historical Jewish and spiritual roots, its challenges regarding accessibility and systemic oppression, and its potential as a radical, socially engaged clinical practice. Speakers Hannah Bear, Lara Shihab-Eldin, and Hannah Evens delve into how psychoanalysis can evolve beyond its traditional, often individualistic and unaffordable model to become a liberatory tool addressing broader societal issues.