Sei sulla pagina 1di 1

Japan Conference Proposal III

Title:
Beyond the Shared Ground: Expanding the Horizons of Psychoanalytic Therapy and Buddhist
Practice through Mutual Inquiry
Communication with a schizophrenic patient often seems impossible, and when it does happen, it
seems to take place in a psychic space outside the ego. To illustrate: I was once asked to ealuate a
schizophrenic patient who spoke in incomprehensible !word salad" for competency to stand trial. #fter
seeral futile attempts at reaching him, I thought in e$asperation, !there is no self here with whom I can
communicate." I was at the end of the rope that my psychoanalytically oriented training had proided
me, and at that point my therapist self surrendered, and the last traces of its an$iety melted into a
silence. There was a deep intimacy in that silence which mysteriously sustained us both. #fterwards, I
felt gratitude for the %uddhist practice I had engaged for two decades by then, and the radical
deconstruction of ego that had been part of this practice. That the intimacy had really been shared by
both of us was confirmed three months later during my isit to the local mental hospital where,
unbeknownst to me, this patient had been confined. I heard him call my name and recognized him. &e
had met me 'ust once, three months ago when he was in a seerely disorganized state. (et he not only
recognized me but remembered my name which most people find difficult to pronounce let alone
remember.
In this presentation, I would like to e$plore the common ground between %uddhism and Psychoanalytic
therapy and how this common ground can be stretched for the benefit of each tradition. The
presentation has two foci. The first is on the deconstruction of the self, alued up to a point by both
traditions but in %uddhism carried beyond where it is taken by psychoanalytic theory. )uch a
deconstruction is e$perientially grounded by %uddhist meditation practices and allows for a silence that
has profound healing potential for patients who are seerely disturbed as well as for those who suffer
from milder forms of neuroses. This therapeutic silence will be e$plored through case ignettes and
discussion with the audience.
The second focus is on attachment which in %uddhism is seen as the root cause of suffering. The
forms of attachment in modern consumer societies are comple$ and internally conflicted.
Psychoanalytic ob'ect relations and interpersonal theories can shed light on this comple$ity and thus
contribute to a %uddhist understanding so as to make the latter more releant and accessible for a wider
range of contemporary practitioners. It also allows for an easier integration of %uddhist and
psychoanalytic practices, as will be e$plored in discussion.

Potrebbero piacerti anche