In this conversation, Dominique Scarfone, a prominent psychoanalyst and former professor, delves into the relationship between time and artistic expression. He connects psychoanalysis with the works of W.S. Merwin, Virginia Woolf, and Walter Benjamin, highlighting how their writings reflect the nuances of 'actual time.' Scarfone explores how memory and trauma shape our understanding of reality, emphasizing the transformative potential of psychoanalysis in addressing these deep-rooted experiences. A fascinating intersection of literature, philosophy, and psychological insight awaits!
Dominique Scarfone emphasizes the importance of transforming arrested time in psychoanalysis into a coherent past for effective healing.
The podcast highlights how literary works of poets like W.S. Merwin and Virginia Woolf resonate with psychoanalytic concepts of time and existence.
Deep dives
The Concept of Actual Time
The podcast delves into the complex notion of actual time in psychoanalysis, proposing that traditional linear conceptions of time, like chronological sequences, fail to capture the intricacies of human existence. Freud introduced the idea that the unconscious operates outside of linear time, suggesting that events and traumas can remain active in an individual’s psyche, experiencing a form of 'un-past.' Scarfone elaborates on this, arguing that analysis seeks to transform this arrested time into a true past, allowing individuals to process and contextualize experiences that feel present but are rooted in the past. This intrinsic relationship between time and psyche highlights how psychoanalysis aims to navigate and elaborate on these complex temporal dimensions to aid in healing and understanding.
Literary Insights into Time
Scarfone draws parallels between psychoanalysis and the works of poets and writers, using specific examples from W.S. Merwin, Virginia Woolf, and Walter Benjamin to illustrate the intersection of psychoanalytic concepts with artistic creativity. Merwin's poem, which reflects on ambiguous notions of time, captures the essence of the 'now' experienced in analysis—where past events influence the present without linear progression. Woolf's insights further emphasize how the past enriches an individual's experience of the present, positing that a deep engagement with the present is only possible when it acknowledges its connections to the past. This literary exploration underscores the idea that artistic expressions can resonate with psychoanalytic truths, providing profound insights into the human condition.
Transforming Experiences in Analysis
The podcast emphasizes that significant breakthroughs in psychoanalysis often occur in moments that appear stagnant, where the patient confronts their experiences directly without pretense of narrative structure. Scarfone highlights that during these times, the complexities of the un-past emerge, compelling both the analyst and analysand to navigate through the remnants of unarticulated experiences. As these encounters unfold, they pave the way for a transformative process where unspeakable content becomes represented in a more meaningful way, allowing for the construction of a coherent past. Ultimately, the challenges of these stagnant moments serve as fertile ground for healing, emphasizing the need for patience and understanding in the analytical process.
Freud and Winnicott have expressed the opinion that if their psychoanalytic ideas are correct, then poets and writers will have thought of them first. Dominique Scarfone, who has developed the concept of “actual time” on metapsychological grounds, concurs with their opinion by showing that variants of “actual time” can be found in the works of the American poet W. S. Merwin, the British writer Virginia Woolf, and the German philosopher Walter Benjamin. Their poetry, literary prose, and philosophy, respectively, are shown to resonate with the time dimension of the psychoanalytic process.
Dominique Scarfone, M.D., is a training and supervising analyst in the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society & Institute (Montreal French Branches) in the process of retiring from his practice of more than 40 years. A former full professor at the Université de Montréal, he was for many years an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis. He is presently chairing the Executive committee of the International Journal’s College.
The author of numerous journal articles and book chapters, he published a number books, among which Laplanche: An introduction and The Unpast. The Actual Unconscious, both published in 2015 in New York by UIT-The Unconscious in Translation. He co-edited with Howard B. Levine and Gail Reed. Unrepresented States and the Construction of Meaning (Karnac, 2013). A new book is in preparation : The Reality of the Message. Seduction, trauma and transference. (provisional title) to be published by UIT.
Link to the text https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rT7NYmsJ78Lru4-I4lR1_SOyzevC9SGr/view?usp=sharing
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