Impulse is a community newsletter produced by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) and distributed electronically at no cost to subscribers. We envision Impulse as an integrative source for local news, events, and thinking of interest to the psychoanalytically inclined. Our goal is to be your guide as you explore the Bay Area's rich array of analytic resources.
We invite you to become a member of NCSPP, if you are not already. And, we welcome you as a subscriber to Impulse. Join us as we highlight the exceptional diversity of psychoanalytic thought and practice in Northern California.
by Shlomit Gorin, MA
"Perfection is a stick with which to beat the possible."
-- Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark
Has anyone else noticed how the use of "perfect" has become pervasive in the past few years? The waiter comes around to your table, you let him know what you would like, and he responds, "Perfect." You inform your colleague you completed the task she requested, and she replies, "Perfect." You say to your friend, "See you later," and she states, "Perfect." Perhaps you've noticed that you yourself say "perfect" far more often than you used to, and in new ways. What might it mean that "perfect" has come to be synonymous, at least idiomatically, with far less emphatic words such as "okay," and that it's sprinkled so generously into daily interactions?
by Megan Rundel, PhD
MAKE THE MOUNTAIN DANCE: KOANS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPISTS
Division 39 Spring Meeting, San Francisco
Wednesday, April 22
1-4 pm
3 CE Credits
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy values spontaneity, play, reverie, and receptivity, but how do we as clinicians cultivate these qualities?
In this introductory workshop, psychoanalyst and Zen teacher Megan Rundel, PhD, will explore play with Zen koans for psychotherapists. Koans are Zen dialogues and poetry that serve as can openers for consciousness and help access layers of the mind that promote creativity and flexibility.
by Jane Reingold, MFT, Impulse Staff Writer
THE HOMESMAN: NO COUNTRY FOR YOUNG WOMEN
The film opens with shots of an azure sky stretching far and wide over a thin strip of arid, barren land. The infinite sky dwarfs the golden hues across the empty plain, no tree or structure in sight. The landscape depicted is evocative of a particular psychological environment, an inhospitable place, a place or state one could imagine getting lost in, succumbing to the elements, coming untethered without a landmark or beacon to guide one home, back to oneself. A place of utter desolation, isolation -- madness.
When the Best Sex Is Extramarital. A relational psychoanalyst contemplates the temptations and perils of infidelity.
Video Lecture by Salman Akhtar. Prof. Akhtar reflects on "the paternal in culture and psychoanalysis."
Divorce Equality. A clinician examines the meaning of divorce in the lives of two gay couples.
by Tiffany McLain
NCSPP WANTS YOU!
Psychoanalysis is currently in a state of flux. Rather than remain cloistered in our offices, many of us want to move beyond our inner circle and make psychoanalytic theory more relevant and accessible. Getting involved with the NCSPP community is an excellent way to do so. Through NCSPP, you can expand your professional network, meet new colleagues, increase your referral base, and give back to your community. NCSPP can also help you to bridge the gap between early-career clinician and seasoned analyst.
ARCHITECT-DESIGNED SPACE: Bright space, 250 square feet, with sound-proofing, skylights, bamboo floors, free wi-fi, off-street parking, full kitchen, and separate bathrooms for patients and therapists. Suitable for psychotherapy, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, groups, and seminars. Available Tues., Thurs., Fri. Sixth Street near University Avenue exit. For more information, contact Alice Jones, MD at (510) 845-8800 or alicejonesmd@gmail.com.
WEEKLY PSYCHOANALYTIC CLINICAL CONSULTATION GROUP: Current openings in supportive and thoughtful group for both experienced and newer clinicians. Focus: close listening and clinical intervention. Case presentations and readings. In Rockridge, Thurs., 10:25-11:35 am. $45/week. Facilitated by Reyna Cowan, PsyD, LCSW, Personal and Supervising Analyst PINC. For more information, contact reynacowan@gmail.com.
Old couches, new books, hot jobs, cool internships, office rentals? List them in Impulse's Classifieds for a modest fee. Please see our submission guidelines for details.
East Bay Psychotherapy Forum
Wed, Apr 1 / 7:00 - 9:00 pm / 2001 Dwight Way / Berkeley
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / A. Lee, MA; C. Fisher, MD; M. Donner, PhD / free
San Francisco Psychotherapy Forum
Thu, Apr 2 / 7:00 - 9:00 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / S. Shah, MFT, et al. / free - $18
Working with Difficult Patients
Thu, Apr 2 (begins) / 6:30 - 8:00 pm / 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / R. Karlsson, PhD, ABPP / free
A Jungian View of Clinical Work: Spring Segment 2015
Mon, Apr 6 (begins) / 7:30 - 9:00 pm / 2040 Gough Street / San Francisco
Jung Institute / (415) 780-9795 / G. Lipsyte, PhD; J. Swanger, PhD / $90
Syncopated Rhythm: Percussion and the Analytic Hour
Fri, Apr 10 / 6:30 - 8:30 pm / 530 Bush Street / San Francisco
PINC / (415) 288-4050 / J. Davel et al. / free - $20
NCSPP Coffee and Networking
Sat, Apr 11 / 11:00 am - 1:00 pm / 270 7th Street / San Francisco
NCSPP / (415) 496-9949 / free
Child Colloquium Series: Infant Research
Sat, Apr 11 / 2:00 - 4:30 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / B. Beebe, PhD; S. Chehrazi, MD / free - $30
Blind Faith: Bearing Failures to Exist
Sat, Apr 11 / 9:00 - 10:30 am / 530 Bush Street / San Francisco
PINC / (415) 288-4050 / A. Hofmeister, MFT; A. Jones, PhD / free - $15
Dialogues in Contemporary Psychoanalysis: The "Sexual Aberrations"
Sat, Apr 11 / 9:30 am - 12:30 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / D. Moss, MD, et al. / $25 - $55
Scientific Meeting: Whose Men, Whose Masculinities?
Mon, Apr 13 / 7:30 - 9:30 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / D. Moss, MD; J. Dimon, MD / free
Introduction to Jungian Child Analysis IV
Sat, Apr 18 / 10:00 am - 4:30 pm / 2040 Gough Street / San Francisco
Jung Institute / (415) 780-9795 / V. Humphrey, PhD / $80 - $160
South Bay Psychotherapy Forum
Tue, Apr 21 / 7:15 - 9:00 pm / 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / N. Niv, PhD; M. Loughran, PhD; J. Mill, PhD / free - $18
Psychoanalytic Grand Rounds at Stanford
Fri, Apr 24 / 12:15 - 1:30 pm / 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / M. Smith, PhD; J. Yost, MFT / free
Embodied Alchemy
Sat, Apr 25 / 9:00 am - 5:00 pm / 2040 Gough Street / San Francisco
Jung Institute / (415) 780-9795 / T. Stromsted, PhD, BC-DMT / $90 - $180
Free Association Today
Sat, May 2 / 9:30 am - 3:45 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / E. O'Shaughnessy et al. / $120 - $160
CCSW Clinical Evening Series: Attacks on Thinking
Wed, May 6 / 6:30 - 9:00 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / TBA / $15 or donation
East Bay Psychotherapy Forum
Wed, May 6 / 7:00 - 9:00 pm / 2001 Dwight Way / Berkeley
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / K.Gin, PsyD, et al. / free - $18
Peninsula Psychoanalytic Student Seminar
Thu, May 7 (begins) / 6:30 - 8:00 pm / 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / M. Bar, PhD / free
San Francisco Psychotherapy Forum
Thu, May 7 / 7:00 - 9:00 pm / 444 Natoma Street / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-3366 / S. Moore, MFT, et al. / free - $18