Lives of the Unconscious. A Podcast on Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Latest Episodes:

Episode 27: The Tragedy of Narcissism Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: The diagnosis of “narcissism” appears to have come into vogue, not only in the field of clinical psychology. It is an inescapable diagnosis for just about any critique of contemporary society. But what exactly are we talking about when we talk of narcissism? How do such diagnoses of our times relate to the clinical and psychoanalytical understanding of narcissism?

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Literature Recommendations:

Freud, S. (1914/1999): On Narcissism. The Standard Edition of the Com-plete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud 14, 67-102.
Gabbard, G.O., Crisp-Han, H. (2018). Narcissism and Its Discontents: Diagnostic Dilemmas and Treatment Strategies With Narcissistic Pa-tients. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Kernberg, O. F. (1985). Borderline conditions and pathological narcissism. Rowman & Littlefield.
Kohut, H. (1971). The Analysis of the Self: A Systematic Approach to the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorders. Interna-tional Universities Press, New York.

Online Sources:

Aduriz, S. (2021). Narcissism today. IPA Podcast: Talks on Psychoanalysis: https://talksonpsychoanalysis.podbean.com/e/sabin-aduriz-narcissism-today/
Maccoby, M. (2020). Narcissism and Leadership. IPA Podcast: Off the Couch: https://ipaoffthecouch.org/2020/07/18/episode-59-narcissism-and-leadership-revisited-with-michael-maccoby-ph-d/

Episode 26: Grief. The path through the realm of shadow. May 22, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: Grief is one of life’s inevitable experiences, for we live in a world that is fleeting. Processing loss is one of the most difficult mental processes and yet every human being must face it. Some mourning processes are so severe that they lead to mental illnesses. This episode deals with the various phenomena and nuances of mourning and how therapy can accompany this process.

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org

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Literature Recommendations:

Abraham, K. (1924): A short study of the development of the libido. In: Frankiel, R.V. (Ed.) (1994). Essential papers on object loss. New York: University Press.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Attachment (Vol. 1). New York: Basic.
Freud, S (1917): Mourning and melancholia. Standard Edition 14, 243–258.
Haas, E (1990): Orpheus und Eurydike. Vom Ursprungsmythos des Trauerprozesses. Jahrb. Psychoanal., 26, 230–252.
Volkan, V (1981): Linking Objects and Linking Phenomena. A Study of the Forms, Symptoms, Metapsychology and Therapy of complicated Mourning. New York (US): IUP.

Tales of Therapy—Alex. Part Three. The Night has an End. Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Tales of Therapy

Summary: After the previous phases of therapy, in which Alex’s symptoms and later his own life story took center stage, the outbreak of the Corona crisis sends the therapeutic work into turmoil. Fears of infection, but also alleged “conspiracy theories” confine the therapeutic space and raise questions. These become, at the same time, the starting point for uncovering the transgenerational entanglements. Alex explores the traumatic history of his family and finds not only a demon, still carrying out his nefarious deeds, but also a key to his origins and identity.

Translator and speaker: Soliman Lawrence. Creators and producers: Cécile Loetz & Jakob Mueller

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives
Script to this case history
Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious
Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org
Donation via Paypal (updated link)
See also our episode on transgenerational transmission of trauma: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-21-the-long-shadow-of-trauma-transgenerational-transmission/

All case histories and details named have been published only with the personal consent of those involved and have been modified to render them completely anonymous, so that inference to any real person is not possible; or examples have been invented and are fictional. Possible overlaps with any real persons are therefore coincidental.

Help in mental crises: If you are in a mental health crisis, look for help in your local area and reach out to professionals. Many countries also have national programs. You can find information at this link, for example. If you are not well, please decide for yourself if you want to listen to this podcast episode. This episode is about panic attacks, anxiety and transgenerational trauma.

*Music: a. Intro: Chelsea McGough, Along the Danube. Licenced via Soundstripe. b. Interplay: Chelsea McGough, Onward. Licenced via Soundstripe.

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Tales of Therapy—Alex. Part Two. The Lost Self. Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

Tales of Therapy

Summary: Alex, a man in his mid-thirties, comes to therapy with psychosomatic symptoms and anxiety attacks, for which initially there appears to be no explanation. In the first phase of therapy, this often first involves finding words for his own feelings and sorting out the inner chaos. In the meantime, an intensive therapeutic process has begun, over the course of which Alex gradually comes to accept his life story as his own. This guides the therapeutic conversation back to events during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the family’s emigration to Germany in the early 1990s. Only gradually does it become clear what far-reaching consequences this upheaval had for Alex—and how this story continues to have an impact on him and his psychological suffering to this day.

Translator and speaker: Soliman Lawrence. Creators and producers: Cécile Loetz & Jakob Mueller

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives
Script to this case history
Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious
Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org
Donation via Paypal (updated link)
See also our episode on transgenerational transmission of trauma: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-21-the-long-shadow-of-trauma-transgenerational-transmission/

**Help in mental crises: **If you are in a mental health crisis, look for help in your local area and reach out to professionals. Many countries also have national programs. You can find information at this link, for example. If you are not well, please decide for yourself if you want to listen to this podcast episode. This episode is about panic attacks, anxiety and transgenerational trauma.

*Music: a. Intro: Chelsea McGough, Along the Danube. Licenced via Soundstripe. b. Interplay and Outro: Chelsea McGough, Intention. Licenced via Soundstripe.

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Tales of Therapy—Alex. Part One. Searching for Words Apr 08, 2022

Show notes

Tales of Therapy

Summary: This case study is about Alex, a man in his mid-thirties, who spent over four years in analysis, most of that time with three sessions a week. Alex came into therapy with psychosomatic symptoms and anxiety attacks for which there appeared to be no explanation. The story of therapy describes the development of mental space in which emotional meaning gradually emerges, thoughts and feelings connect, and inner chaos is organized. This is a delicate process, for an ominous light falls on the family history, even affecting Alex’s spirit, darkening his life for many years. The case history that also touches on the traumatic history of Europe and Russia, a history that casts its generational shadow on us to this day.

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives
Script to this case history
Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious
Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org
Donation via Paypal
See also our episode on transgenerational transmission of trauma: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-21-the-long-shadow-of-trauma-transgenerational-transmission/

**Help in mental crises: **If you are in a mental health crisis, look for help in your local area and reach out to professionals. Many countries also have national programs. You can find information at this link, for example. If you are not well, please decide for yourself if you want to listen to this podcast episode. This episode is about panic attacks, anxiety and transgenerational trauma.

*Music: a. Intro: Chelsea McGough, Along the Danube. Licenced via Soundstripe. b. Interplay and Outro: Chelsea McGough, Departure. Licenced via Soundstripe.

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Winter break Jan 23, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

We well be back in March with new episodes! See you soon Your Lives-of-the-Unconscious-Team

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Donation via Paypal

Episode 25: “O Parting, Fountain of all Words.” — Why progress is grounded in loss Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: Attachment, love, always goes hand in hand with losses—thus happiness and sadness are also close relatives. In this episode we will hear more about why separation and loss not only mean suffering, but also play an important role for psychological development.

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org

Donation via Paypal

Literature Recommendations:

Bion, W. (1962). A Theory of Thinking. In: International Journal of Psycho-Analysis 43 (1962).
Bowlby, J. (1974). Attachment and Loss. London, UK: Hogarth.
Freud, S. (1917). Mourning and Melancholia. The Standard Edition, Volume 14 (1914–1916), 237–58.
Haas, E. (1990). Orpheus und Eurydike. Vom Ursprungsmythos des Trauerprozesses. Jahrbuch der Psychoanalyse 26, 230-252.
Volkan, V. (1981). Linking objects and linking phenomena : a study of the forms, symptoms, metapsychology, and therapy of complicated mourning. New York, NY, US: International Universities Press.
Winnicott, D. W. (1953). Transitional objects and transitional phenomena. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 34, 89–97

Episode 24: The Concepts of Contemporary Psychoanalysis Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: Psychoanalysis is often equated with the work of Sigmund Freud. Contemporary modes of thought and therapeutic approaches such as relational psychoanalysis or mentalization-based therapy methods are often less well known, despite being central to current practice. This episode provides an introduction to the concepts of contemporary psychoanalysis.

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org

Donation via Paypal

Literature Recommendations:

Bateman, A, Fonagy, P (2016). Mentalization Based Treatment for Personality Disorders: A Practical Guide. Oxford University Press.
Busch, F (2013). Creating a Psychoanalytic Mind. London: Routledge.
Brown, L J (2018). Transformational Processes in Clinical Psychoanalysis: Dreaming Emotions and the Present Moment. London: Routledge.
Chodorow, N (2012). Individualizing Gender and Sexuality: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge
Levy, F (2019). Psychoanalysis with Wilfred R. Bion: Contemporary Approaches, Actuality and The Future of Psychoanalytic Practice. London: Routledge.
Mitchell & Black (2016): Freud and Beyond: A History of Modern Psychoanalytic Thought. New York, NY, US: Basic Books.
Mitchell, SA, Greenberg, JR (1983). Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.
Mitchell SA (1988). Relational Concepts in Psychoanalysis. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.
Stern, D (1985). The Interpersonal World of the Infant. New York: Basic Books.
Stolorow RD, Orange DM, Atwood GE (2002). World horizonts. An alternative to the Freudian unconscious. Selbstpsychologie, 3, 24—60.
Stolorow, RD (1997). Dynamic, dyadic, intersubjective systems: An evolving paradigm for psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 14, 337—346.

Episode 23: On the Psychoanalysis of Conspiracy Theories Nov 27, 2021

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: Conspiracy phantasma derive their power from affects, not from arguments. They cannot be understood by differentiating them from some supposedly reasonable normality – for normality may not be so reasonable after all – but only in the reflection of their affective cohesiveness. In fact, they are a social psychological phenomenon of extraordinary proportions: and a case for depth psychology. In this episode we will hear more about the role conspiracy theories can play for the psyche and why they cannot be easily abandoned.

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org

Donation via Paypal

Literature Recommendations:

Adorno, T. W. (1997). The Stars Down to Earth: The Los Angeles Times Astrology Column. Telos, 1974, 19, 13–90
Bion, W. (1970). Attention and Interpretation. London: Tavistock Publica-tions.
Green, R. & Douglas, K.M. (2018). Anxious attachment and belief in con-spiracy theories. Personality and Individual Differences. Volume 125, 15, 30-37
Blum, H. (1981). Object Inconstancy and Paranoid Conspiracy. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 29:789–813
Lantian, A. et al. (2017). »I Know Things They Don’t Know!« The Role of Need for Uniqueness in Belief in Conspiracy Theories. Social Psycholo-gy, 48, pp. 160-173. Hogrefe Publishing.
Rosenfeld, H. (1971). Contribution to the psychopathology of psychotic states: The importance of projective identification in the ego structure and the object relations of the psychotic patient. In: Doucet, P. & Lau-rin, C. (eds.): Problems of Psychosis. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica

Episode 22: C.G. Jung and the Collective Unconscious Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: “The school of C.G. Jung has played a controversial role in psychoanalysis. More than almost any other psychological school, it grants a greater role to the symbolic world of the psyche, fairy tales, myths, and legends, but also alchemy or astrology. The significance of this spiritual reality is expressed at life-historical thresholds and in crisis situations, but also in anger over the lousy ending of a television series. Also reflected in the controversy surrounding C.G. Jung is an old conflict between enlightenment and myth.”

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to Lives@psy-cast.org

Donation via Paypal

Literature Recommendations:

Campbell, J. (2008). The hero with a thousand faces. Novato, Calif: New World Library.
Jung, C. G. (1953–1980). The Collected Works. Eds. Herbert Read, Michael Fordham, Gerhard Adler. Executive ed. W. McGuire. Trans R.F.C. Hull. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
Jung, C. G. (1934–1954), The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious, Collected Works, 9 (2 ed.), Princeton, NJ: Bollingen.
James, W. (1902/2012). The Varieties of Religious Experience. Oxford: University Press
Kauders, A.D. (2013). Truth, Truthfulness, and Psychoanalysis: The Reception of Freud in Wilhelmine Germany. German History Vol. 31, 1, 1–22.
Kerenyi, K. (1991). Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991.
Kirsch, T. (1991). Carl Gustav Jung and the Jews: The Real Story in: Lingering Shadows: Jungians, Freudians and Anti-Semitism. Boston/London: Shambhala.

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