New Books in Psychoanalysis

Dominique Scarfone, “The Unpast: The Actual Unconscious” (The Unconscious in Translation, 2015)

Apr 24, 2018

Dominique Scarfone, an expert in revisiting Freudian theories, dives into his book, discussing the nuances of the unconscious and its temporal dynamics. He challenges the idea that the unconscious is timeless, revealing how repressed memories impact clients' behaviors. Scarfone also highlights the concept of 'apre-coup' in psychoanalysis and the significance of understanding transference through actual neuroses. This conversation provides valuable insights for clinicians looking to enhance their practice with contemporary interpretations of psychoanalytic ideas.

53:17

Episode guests

Dominique Scarfone

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Quick takeaways

Scarfone's book reinterprets Freud's metapsychology, asserting that the unconscious is actively influenced by unresolved temporal experiences rather than merely being a spatial repository.

The therapeutic engagement with transference reveals crucial links between past unresolved traumas and present symptoms, guiding analysts toward deeper client understanding.

Deep dives

Impact of the Unconscious

The concept of the unconscious is explored through the idea of the 'actual', which refers to elements produced in the present but are neglected in conscious understanding. This includes an analysis of Freud's notion of actual neuroses, where symptoms may arise without a clear psychic history. The book argues that there exists a kernel of experience within each neurosis that resists analysis, highlighting the persistent nature of unconscious material. This challenge leads to a rethinking of how psychoanalysts approach their clients’ narratives, especially when symptoms emerge that seem disconnected from past experiences.

Intro

3min

Exploring 'Apre-Coup' in Psychoanalysis

8min

Unveiling the Unconscious in Psychoanalysis

30min

Exploring the Depths of Repressed Trauma and Its Implications

3min

Unconscious Connections: Time and Mental Processes

6min

Rediscovering Freudian Metapsychology

3min

Dominique Scarfone‘s The Unpast: The Actual Unconscious (The Unconscious in Translation, 2015) charts “a new itinerary through the vast landscape that is Freud.” For many North American readers, or others who may not appreciate the relevance of drive theory and Freud’s metapsychology in today’s world, this book serves as an inspiring re-visitation of that territory and presents a cogent theory for understanding clinical material and analytic aims in a faithfully Freudian context. The book is also an excellent introduction to many of the ideas that animate the French School of Psychoanalysis, especially for readers who may not have found an accessible way into that rich and stimulating tradition.

The title of the book is a reference to time and history as they affect the unconscious. Scarfone emphasizes the temporal dynamics of the unconscious as opposed to spatial dynamics (topographies and structures). He analyzes the psychoanalytic truism that “the unconscious is timeless” and shows us how that statement is not exactly true in the way people typically think about it. Scarfone says that a close reading of Freud’s work shows us that “time does exist for the unconscious, but somehow the repressed is protected from its corrosive effects.” This observation will ring true to any clinician who has witnessed the destructive repetitions that occur in clients’ lives and that manifest disturbingly in the transference. These repetitive phenomena are the “returns” of unconscious elements that remain presently active, unpast, until through analysis they can be inserted into another kind of time that transforms them into history, rescuing them from occurring as eternal symptoms.

Philip Lance, Ph.D. is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles. He is candidate at The Psychoanalytic Center of California. PhilipJLance@gmail.com

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