Title/Paper: Awakening the Dreamer: Clinical Journeys, NJ: The Analytic Press, pp 128-150
Author: Philip Bromberg
Dates: Wednesday, May 11 - Sunday, May 22 , 2022
Moderators:

Cathy Hicks (Australia), Shlomit Yadlin Gadot (Israel)

Panelists:

Tony Bass (USA), Elana Cohen (Australia), Amanda Kottler (South Africa), Holly Levenkron (USA), Gianni Nebbiosi (Italy), Andre Sassenfeld (Chile), Boaz Shalgi (Israel), Amy Schwartz Cooney (USA), Sharon Ziv Beiman (Israel)

In this colloquium, we intend to have conversations about relational technique in general, with specific focus on Bromberg’s proposal that ‘self-revelation is not only permissible but necessary’. While perhaps a well-worn trope, we are of the opinion that it is still a relevant and sometimes confusing topic and so we hope it will find wide appeal. As springboard for our discussion, we have selected Bromberg’s chapter on this topic from his (2006) Awakening the Dreamer: Clinical Journeys, NJ: The Analytic Press, pp 128-150.

We are drawn to this chapter especially because of Bromberg’s idea of self-revelation, rather than the narrower idea of self-disclosure: even though we may not be intentionally disclosing anything, we are always revealing ourselves in diverse conscious and unconscious ways – and that this is a necessary part of being present to our clients and patients.  As Bromberg noted:

Because unconscious material is held to be coconstructed rather than revealed, the analyst’s role is not to avoid personal participation in the process, but continually to monitor and use the immediate and residual effects of his personal participation as an inherent part of his stance.

I argue that the analyst’s existence as a real person is not only inevi­table, because it is not something under his control, but is necessary (p.131)

As you would all know, Philip Bromberg, the author, is no longer with us and so we cannot follow our usual format of having exchange between author and panelists. This time, it is the conversation between the panelists that will launch the discussion which will open to the wider membership after the first couple of days. While we always try to include panelists who represent different geographic and theoretical areas, we gave particular focus to trying to include diverse approaches, in order to facilitate rich and wide-ranging discussion. To that end, our panel who will present and debate their ideas of self-revelation are:

Tony Bass, USA
Elana Cohen, Australia
Amanda Kottler,  South Africa
Holly Levenkron, USA
Gianni Nebbiosi,  Italy
Andre Sassenfeld, Chile
Boaz Shalgi, Israel
Amy Schwartz Cooney, USA
Sharon Ziv Beiman, Israel