Jessica Benjamin (USA) visited the IARPP-Chile Chapter in March. This was not the first time she has come to Chile; actually, she is kind of family for many of us. She feels “a strong connection” (her own words) with our country, several of our institutions, and Chilean colleagues with whom she has worked for a long time. Her contributions were very well-received, and her visit was a rewarding experience.

Her first conference, “Enactment and Theory of the Third,” took place at the Psychology Faculty of Universidad Alberto Hurtado, with which the faculty inaugurated its academic year. Her presentation focused on her ideas of intersubjective space, the creativity of moments of meeting, and the moral third. Next, with an attendance of more than 200, she read her paper “Beyond ‘Only One Can Live’: Witnessing, Acknowledgment and the Moral Third,” written specifically for our IARPP-Chile conference. Three IARPP-Chile members, Gonzalo Acuña, Marîa Eugenia Boetsch, and Andrea Rhim, commented on her paper in the panel discussion.

In the following days, Jessica met with ILAS (Latin American Institute of Human Rights and Mental Health). She has a special and fruitful 15-year relationship with this institution around the psychotherapeutic and psychosocial work of reparation that ILAS has done with the victims of human rights violations by the Pinochet dictatorship.

Her activities concluded with a clinical workshop, “Resolving Enactments through Play,” only for members of IARPP-Chile. Josefina Gonzalez del Riego, a well-know and cherished psychotherapist of our institution, presented very moving clinical material that allowed a profound and valuable dialogue between Jessica, Josefina and the public.

Our chapter has programmed a series of additional meetings for the months ahead, which we will report on in the next Bulletin.

Warm regards to all our fellow chapters around the world,

IARPP-Chile Board of Directors

Juan Francisco Jordan, President
Luz María Parada, Secretary

Juan Francisco Jordan, MD (Chile)
Email Juan Francisco Jordan

Luz María Parada, MA (Chile)
Email Luz María Parada