In this program, Dr. Stefano Bolognini will explore challenges to the practice of psychoanalysis today. As a former president and executive leader of the International Psychoanalytic Association, Dr. Bolognini had the opportunity to travel the world and visit many psychoanalytic societies, learning about the state of psychoanalytic treatment in the 21st century. One of his observations was that the occurrence of high frequency treatment (3, 4, or 5 sessions per week) was declining in almost all parts of the world. He will present a paper detailing his hypotheses as to why this might be happening. Dr Bolognini believes that analysts are increasingly meeting patients who have difficulty with accepting their basic dependence upon the analyst. He explores this idea by itemizing cultural and sociological factors, including the Internet, that contribute to mistrust towards patients’ engagement with psychoanalysis and to the reinforcement of defensive styles such as pseudo-autonomy, entitlement, and suspiciousness. Dr. Bolognini’s paper will be made available to registered participants prior to the event. After the paper presentation, a panel will respond briefly to the presentation, followed by questions and answers with the audience.
