Friday 6th September 2024, 9.30am – 4.00pm
Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh
The Intuitive Group
The process of becoming
as seen by Roberto Assagioli and Wilfred Bion
The capacity to forget, the ability to eschew desire and understanding must be regarded as essential discipline for the psychoanalyst.
Wilfred Bion
Although Roberto Assagioli, originator of psychosynthesis, and Kleinian analyst Wilfred Bion lived during the same period their paths never crossed. However, their thinking seems to have developed along similar lines. This presentation by Theo Dijkman will highlight the similarities as well as differences with a specific emphasis on intuition and the emergent as it manifests both within individuals and groups.
In their thinking both have added a future directed drive within the human psyche to Freud’s pathological one. This future directed drive also relates to a sense of purpose, which we can open ourselves up to through what Bion called reverie and Assagioli called disidentification. Within the individual or a group, it requires what Bion called ‘an act of faith’, trusting that something will reveal itself in addition to the task that needs performing. In a time where there is ever greater complexity and uncertainty it becomes increasingly difficult to solely rely on information as presented to us.
Theo Dijkman is a UKCP registered psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with over 30 years’ experience. He has a background in mental health and for 10 years was a senior faculty member of the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London. Since 2019 he has been engaged in independent research into the concepts of Assagioli and Bion as seen through a postmodern lens.
QMMAC offers the exciting opportunity to meet colleagues and students from group analysis, psychoanalysis and related professional fields for a shared experience of large group work and presentations relevant to working in psychotherapy. This quarterly meeting provides an enjoyable and supportive space for thinking, dialogue and learning. The regular meetings aim to reduce feelings of professional isolation, stimulate creative discussion and develop a sense of community among those involved in psychodynamic work. Through shared learning and dialogue, we grow stronger and more confident about our work and its place in the psychotherapeutic milieu.
Suitable for past and present trainees in group analysis (at any level), group analysts, individual analysts and colleagues in other fields with an interest in groups.
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