By Allison Katz (USA) and André Sassenfeld (Chile), Co-chairs of the Webinar Committee

Members of the newly re-organized Webinar Committee met in Toronto to discuss upcoming webinars and the activities of our committee. Although not all committee members were present, we enjoyed a productive meeting that focused on ways to further the mission of the committee, one of which is to promote the works of both seasoned and emerging voices in the field. We also believe our programs provide a fantastic forum for clinicians at varying levels of experience to engage in a rich dialogue with their peers and to enhance their sense of community.

So far in 2015 we have had two successful webinars.  The first webinar, organized by the Candidates’ Committee, was led by Paul Wachtel (USA) and moderated by John Skrovan (USA). This webinar was entitled Knowing The Unconscious From The Inside Out And From The Outside In. Analytic candidates and recent graduates from all over the world participated in an engaging discussion that focused on the ever-changing nature of the unconscious and how it shifts as a result of new experiences.

The second webinar was organized by the Child and Adolescent Committee and led by an internationally renowned group of faculty, including Katharine Frost (South Africa), Martha Bragin (USA), Judy Roth (USA), Esther Cohen (Israel), and Stuart Twemlow (USA, New Zealand). This program was moderated by Ann Marie Sacramone (USA) and was entitled Intergenerational Attachment Patterns and the Responses of Child Therapists in the Presence of Societal Trauma. Clinicians specializing in work with the child and adolescent populations participated in a meaningful conversation that focused on intergenerational trauma.

We are eagerly awaiting our next webinar based on Daniel Shaw’s (USA) terrific book, Traumatic Narcissism: Systems of Subjugation. This webinar will be led by Shaw and co-moderated by Carmine Schettini (Italy) and Matt Aibel (USA). The program is entitled From Subjugation to Emancipation: Leaving the Relational System of the Traumatizing Narcissist, and will take place on Monday, October 12, through Sunday, October 25, 2015. In his book Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation, Shaw explores the complementary dynamic created by the narcissist who seeks to take over and control the subjectivity of an other, such as his or her child, sibling, significant other, student, patient, group of followers, group of citizens, and so on. In this seminar, Shaw will lead participants through his analysis of the relational system of the traumatizing narcissist. He will show how narcissism works as an intergenerational trauma, tracing the developmental path of both the traumatizing narcissist and his or her victim. In the second week of the seminar, Shaw will focus on his clinical work with adult children of traumatizing narcissists, focusing on therapeutic processes that can free these patients from their deep ties to their internalized traumatizers, so that they may recover, reactivate, and grow the unique personal subjectivity they had been led to believe was worthless and unlovable.

Our 2015 “season” will end in December with another engaging webinar led by Jon Sletvold (Norway), based on his book The Embodied Analyst: From Freud and Reich to Relationality.

Upcoming programs for 2016 include another candidates-only webinar, an Italian language webinar, and a webinar led by Bill Cornell (USA) based on his recent book, Somatic Experience in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy: In the Expressive Language of the Living. We look forward to another great year of webinars with participants from all over the world!

For any questions about these upcoming events, please contact:

Allison Katz, LCSW
Email Allison Katz

André Sassenfeld, MA
Email André Sassenfeld