Lives of the Unconscious. A Podcast on Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Latest Episodes:

Episode 37: Male Perversion and Sexual Violence Apr 25, 2025

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Lives of the Unconscious

Support our project and get access to the scripts for all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/lives

Summary: From catcalling and unsolicited “dick pics” to upskirting and other forms of sexual assault—sexualized violence is omnipresent, especially on social media, and is often perpetrated by men. Research also shows that other forms of sexualized violence frequently, though by no means exclusively, originate from men. This episode explores how such behaviors can be understood and how they intersect with a psychoanalytic perspective on perversion. The topic of female perversion will be addressed in a separate episode. Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Script to this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/127342722/

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Literature Recommendations

Massie, H. & Szajnberg, N. M. (1997). The ontogeny of a sexual fetish from birth to age 30 and memory processes. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 78, 755–771.
Stoller, R. (1975). Perversion: The Erotic Form of Hatred. New York: Pantheon Books.
McDougall, J. (1985). Plea for a Measure of Abnormality. New York: International Universities Press.
Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. (1996). Creativity and Perversion. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Episode 36. What poverty does tu us. And what it has to do with our history. Nov 29, 2024

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Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: "Behind what is referred to in psychoanalysis as fate neurosis or repetition compulsion often lurks the uncanny magnetism of one's own social class"

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

Script to this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/116944972

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Literature Recommendations

Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction. A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Harvard University Press.
Morgan, D. (2019). The Unconscious in Social and Political Life. Phoenix Publishing House.
Ryan, J. (2017). Class and Psychoanalysis: Landscapes of Inequality. London: Routledge.

Episode 35. Envy. A hidden force within human relations Apr 29, 2023

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Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: Envy can arise wherever there exists inequality between people: in societies and families, between siblings, genders, and generations. “Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay” (R.W. Emerson). Envy has a bad reputation, at times even considered taboo, and yet still it proves to be ever-present. This episode explores the psychoanalytic understanding of envy and its implications for society and therapeutic processes, such as the phenomenon known as ‘negative therapeutic reaction.’ However, envy is not only destructive, but is also a driving force of human 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

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Literature Recommendations

Feldman, M. (2008). Envy and the negative theraputic reaction. In: Roth, P. &Lemma, A. (Hg.): Envy and Gratitude Revisited. London: Karnac.
Beland, H.(1999). Neid: die systemsprengenden Phänomene. Journal für Psy-chologie, 7, 3–16.
Joseph, B. (1986). Neid im Alltagsleben. In: Psychisches Gleichgewicht und psychische Veränderung. Stuttgart: Klett Cotta, 268–284.
Klein, M. (1957/1984). Envy and Gratitude and Other Works 1946-1963. London: Hogarth Press.
Young, E. (2000). The Role of Envy in Psychic Growth. Fort Da, 6, 57—68.

Cover made by the authors

Cut: Tim Schaub

Episode 34. Dissociative Identity Disorder - Secret Lives Feb 28, 2023

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Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: The idea of split personality is fertile ground for stories of great imagination—while regrettably also inspiring and perpetuating numerous misunderstandings that continue to cling to the kind of personality organization that we will take up in this episode

*there is a small cultural variation in the episode. We use the German abbreviation "DIS" for Dissociative Identity Disorder. In English, however, the expression "DID" is common. We think that the episode is still easy to understand and hope you enjoy listening to it.

The next episode will be released in March

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

Jamieson, A. (2009). Today I'm Alice: A young girl's splintered mind, a father's evil secret. Pan
Noble, K. (2011). All of me. My incredible true story of how I learned to live with the many personalities sharing my body. Piatkus
Sizemore, C. (1989) A mind of my own. The Women Who Was Known As "Eve" Tells the Story of Her Triumph over Multiple Personality Disorder. William Morrow & Co
West, C. (1999). First Person Plural: My Life As a Multiple. Hyperion

YouTube

Multiplicity and Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dRDqs2t2Y8
The Entropy System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq9ARzQOwuE
Chris Sizemore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nllGWO7OzD8
DISDing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HWfa7SPUV8

Cover made via Midjourney

Cut: Tim Schaub

Episode 33.The Phantom of Emptiness. On the Psychodynamics of White Depression. Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: In contrast to “black depression,” white depression denotes an often inconspicuous, insidious affliction that can last a lifetime. Its distinguishing quality is a feeling of meaninglessness and emptiness that is nearly impossible to grasp, even if everything in life actually appears to be working out and there is reason to be joyful. As if, despite all efforts, it was simply impossible to truly believe in anything at all, as if all love and enthusiasm were simply a stage play, acted out for others. What this is all about and where such feelings towards life can come from is the subject of this episode.

The next episode will be released in February

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

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Literature Recommendations

Green, A. (1986). The dead mother. In: On Private Madness, London: Hogarth Press, 142–173.
Rohde-Dachser, C. (2010). Schwermut als Objekt. Über Struktur und Inhalt der Borderline-Depression. Psyche, 9/10, 862–889.
Willoughby, R. (2001). “The Dungeon of Thyself”: The claustrum as patholog-ical container, The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 82:5, 917–931.

Cut: Tim Schaub

Episode 32.The Pseudo-Community. Or: The Family behind the Rubber Fence Nov 25, 2022

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Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: “You’re free to do anything you want! But this man, of all people—you’ll never be happy with him.” Or: “Of course, if you don’t have time, you don’t have to come to the birthday dinner. But Uncle Henry will be very sad if you don’t. He was asking about you.” Or: “Yeah, yeah, I got it, independence is very important. But your own apartment, what’s the point? You can live with us, it’s much cheaper—and we’ll leave you alone.” Sentences like this are likely to be familiar in every family. In some families, however, there is a system to this way of communicating. In this episode, we look at the so-called “family behind the rubber fence.” Generally unremarkable from the outside, while highly prone to conflict on the inside, the force binding these kinds of families together is nearly inescapable. In contrast to the “clan-family,” in which deviation is openly disapproved of and attacked, communications within the pseudo-community convey a subtle message of dependency, an intangible ban on separating and individuating oneself from the family: beyond the family, lies the threat of catastrophe. A violent clash ensues if any family member risks breaking away from the family, sometimes even lead-ing to illness.

The next episode will be released around 12/15-22

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

Bateson, G., Jackson, D.D., Haley, J., Weakland, J.W (1956). Toward a Theory of Schizophrenia. Behavioral Science, 1 (4), 251—254.
Flaskas, C. (2005). Psychoanalytic Ideas and Systemic Family Therapy: Revisit-ing the Question ‘Why Bother?’. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 26 (3), 125–134.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Stevan, D. (2018). The Rubber Fence. Island Publishing House.
Wirick D.M., Teufel-Prida L.A. (2019). Closed Systems in Family Systems Theory. In: Lebow J., Chambers A., Breunlin D. (Hg.), Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer: Cham.
Wynne, L. C., Ryckoff, J. M., Day, J. & Hirsch, S. (1967). Pseudo-Mutuality in The Family Relations of Schizophrenia. In Handel, G. (ed), The Psy-chological Interior of the Family. Chicago: Aldine.

Episode 31. A Lover's Bind: The Psychoanalysis of Romantic Relationships Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: One couple fights over household responsibilities. Another is trapped in a cycle of jealousy and control. Still another strives for total harmony and oneness—only to be tormented by intense anxiety the moment small differences arise. With the help of the famous psychodynamic concept of collusion, this episode deals with the often conflictual relations between couples. We often encounter in romantic relationships the contours of our unconscious longings and fears, factors that are anchored in our personal history and that are decisive in the selection of a partner. Topics include: the relationship dynamics of jealousy, narcissistic relationship dynamics, as well as helper dynamics.

The next episode will be released on 11/15-22

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

Kernberg, O. (2011). Inseparable Nature of Love and Aggression: Clinical and Theoretical Perspectives. American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Novakovic, A. (ed. 2016). Couple Dynamics: Psychoanalytic Perspectives in Work with the Individual, the Couple, and the Group. London: Routledge.
Willi, J. (1984). Couples in Collusion: The Unconscious Dimension in Partner Relationships. Hunter House.
Wurmser, L. (2008). Hidden Dimension. Psychodynamics in Compulsive Drug Use. Lanham: Jason Aronson

Episode 30: On the psychoanalysis of addictive disorders Sep 16, 2022

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Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: Addiction is one of the most widespread forms of mental illness. However, it is also burdened with many stigmas, and those suffering from it are often stigmatized. Treating it is considered difficult. But why do people become addicted? Can anyone become an addict? What is the psychological function of addictive behavior? This episode is an introduction to the psychoanalytic understanding of addictive disorders, focusing especially on the unconscious dynamics of shame and guilt.

The next episode will be released on 10/15-22

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

Gill, R. (2014). Addictions From an Attachment Perspective: Do Broken Bonds and Early Trauma Lead to Addictive Behaviours? London: Routledge.
Haber, D.H. (2022). Addiction, Accommodation, and Vulnerability in Psychoanalysis: Circles without a Center. London: Routledge.
Potik, D. (2020). Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment. London: Routledge.
Radó, S. (1926). The psychic effects of intoxicants. An Attempt to Evolve a Psycho-Analytical Theory of Morbid Craving. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 7, 396.
Voigtel, R. (2019). Sucht. Buchreihe: Analyse der Psyche und Psychotherapie. Psychosozial-Verlag. Gießen
Wurmser, L. (2008). Hidden Dimension. Psychodynamics in Compulsive Drug Use. Lanham: Jason Aronson

Episode 29: The Anorexic Dynamic. Or: Why eating disorders are not about the food Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: “You are what you eat.” We are continuously negotiating our identity through food, setting the boundaries of the self. Inscribed into the symptoms of anorexia is an unconscious conflict of identity, which has something to do with one’s own longings and cravings, with a hunger for the other. In psychodynamic therapies, these longings become part of the therapeutic exchange, while also leading to a characteristic dilemma.

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

Gill, R. (2014). Addictions From an Attachment Perspective: Do Broken Bonds and Early Trauma Lead to Addictive Behaviours? London: Routledge.
Haber, D.H. (2022). Addiction, Accommodation, and Vulnerability in Psychoanalysis: Circles without a Center. London: Routledge.
Potik, D. (2020). Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment. London: Routledge.
Radó, S. (1926). The psychic effects of intoxicants. An Attempt to Evolve a Psycho-Analytical Theory of Morbid Craving. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 7, 396.
Voigtel, R. (2019). Sucht. Buchreihe: Analyse der Psyche und Psychothera-pie. Psychosozial-Verlag. Gießen
Wurmser, L. (2008). Hidden Dimension. Psychodynamics in Compulsive Drug Use.

Episode 28: Malignant Narcissism: A Reservoir of Hatred and Violence Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Lives of the Unconscious

Summary: History has certainly never failed to offer reasons and occasions to cause violence of all sorts; making it understandable how Freud arrived at the following verdict towards the end of his life: “Homo homini lupus—man is wolf to man. Who in the face of all his experience of life and of history, will have the courage to dispute this assertion?” One form of violence in particular has played an especially sinister role, at least in recent history and continuing up to the present: the destructive power of narcissistic hatred.

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:

Haller, R. (2009). Das ganz normale Böse. Salzburg: Ecowin.
Kernberg, O., Hartmann, H.P. (2010). Narzissmus: Grundlagen – Störungsbilder – Therapie.
Kernberg, O. (2004). Aggressivity, Narcissism,and Self-Destructivenessin the PsychotherapeuticRelationship. Yale University Press
Kernberg, O. (1975). Borderline conditions and pathological narcissism. New York: Jason Aronson
Paulhus, D.L., Williams, K.M. (2002). The Dark Triad of personality: Narcis-sism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality. 556–563.
Rosenfeld, H. (1971): A clinical approach to the psychoanalytical theory of the life and death instincts: An investigation into the aggressive aspects of narcissism. International Journal of Psychoanalysis. 52, 169–178.
Rosenfeld, H. (2002 / 1964). Zur Psychopathologie des Narzißmus – Ein klinischer Beitrag. In: Zur Psychoanalyse psychotischer Zustände. Gießen: Psychosozial.
Steiner, J. (2008). Seeing and being seen. Narcissistic pride and narcisstic humiliation. International Journal of Psychoanalysis. 87, 939–951.
Trimborn, W. (2003). Der Verrat am Selbst – Zur Gewalt narzißtischer Abwehr. Psyche, 57(11), 1033–1056.

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/

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