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 Stephanie King, Psy.D.
Over the years in my practice I have, on occasion, used the analogy that therapy and self-discovery can be like climbing a spiral staircase. It’s certainly not an original analogy, but when well-timed can be quite containing. In case you’ve never heard this analogy, it highlights the way that climbing a spiral staircase can, at times, feel like you’re not getting anywhere, just going in circles, or maybe even regressing – a lot like the therapeutic process. Like the stairway, in therapy you don’t always have your destination in sight. However, with each step you are getting to a different place, even if it looks like where you were before. While it can seem like we’re going around and around, if we stop and look down we can see how far we’ve climbed.
I’ve been thinking about how this relates to my role as President of NCSPP and our goals as an organization. What revolutions are we making? Where is change needed? Where can we grow? How do we keep climbing toward a destination that we can’t always see?
by Molly Mersonn, MFT
Anyone who wants to be prime minister should have a course of therapy first. Psychotherapy can increase empathy and an understanding of one’s impact on others. Leaders with a conscience are much needed in our world.
From Marx to Freud. What if transforming society could transform humanity? What if Freud’s belief that life drive and death drive, rather than innate human qualities, are a response to a society that encourages a binary of this kind?
Dungeons and Back Alleys: The Fate of the Mentally Ill in America. While this article does not reference psychoanalysis per se, it is a relevant and important read given the state of mental health access in America. Where do we need to change, and what can psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic communities do differently to impact the system?
PSYCHOTHERAPY OFFICE SUBLET: Lovely upper Fillmore Street location at 2491 Washington Street in a suite with three other analysts. Office is available all day Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and on Wednesday morning only until noon. The office has a contemporary ambience with high ceilings, bay window, analytic couch and closet with built in desk. Rent/day is $363. If interested please call Barbara A. Baer, Ph.D. at (415) 346-8868.
NEWLY RENOVATED OFFICE IN THE PRESIDIO: With a group of psychotherapists.1808 Wedemeyer St. $1600 a month. Peter Carnochan: peter.carnochan@gmail.com. (415) 793-6511.
BEAUTIFUL, GARDEN VIEW PSYCHOTHERAPY OFFICE SUBLET: North Berkeley, Monday-Friday mornings, $25/day. Cleaning included, wheelchair accessible, shared kitchen. Nancy Kaplan, nancykaplan56@gmail.com. (510) 601-7862.
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.
ISG Introductory Event: The Territory of the Body
Sat, Jul 20 / 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm / 2727 College Ave. / Berkeley
NCSPP / (415) 484-8627 / B. Kassoff, Ph.D., et al / $20 - $55