A number of commentators have made grim predictions about the fate of psychoanalysis: its dwindling place, the drying up of its reserves, the extinction of its eco-system, especially when compared to its heyday. Yet when I look at the ferment within the world of psychoanalysis — a ferment which has continued, it seems, unabated since the beginning — I see life, vitality and growth. One important trend has been the broadening of psychoanalysis proper into the psychoanalytic therapies, such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy, psychoanalytic couples therapy, infant-parent work, and psychoanalytic groups. Another, closely linked, has been the widening scope. Many other trends and developments I do not have space to touch upon.

I believe the growth of a discipline is linked to the activity of its practitioners, that is, to their active involvement in thinking, discovering and refining. I worry that many of us who practice within the psychoanalytic framework are not actively involved in the ferment. There are of course a number of ways to be involved, and the breadth and richness of the programs available (see APPOINTMENT BOOK below for a monthly cross-section) bear witness to that. But I am concerned that we may be taking in these offerings too passively. Aside from our consultation groups and small seminars, where and how can people bring their voices and experience to bear? The evolution of our field will depend on all of us being involved; and to do this we will need to find ways for those who are not institutionally affiliated to communicate what they know and what they have learned from their work. 

Adam Kremen, Ph.D.
President, NCSPP