Voices from ROOM: A Podcast for Analytic Action

This week, Aneta and Isaac speak with JT Mikulka, an analyst and social worker whose work in ROOM unpacked tensions at the 54th annual IPA conference in Lisbon. Mikulka unbraids discovery from colonial vision—dissecting what is truly new and what is being presented as new for the benefit of its “discoverer.” Exploring colonial norms in the professional analytic world, Mikulka asks us to challenge what we have come to accept as normal. 

This week, Aneta and Isaac speak with Sara Taber, author, social worker, psychologist, educator, and daughter of a CIA operative. For the past five years, Taber has run Writing for Resilience workshops for underprivileged communities. Taber's recent work uplifting the voices and writing of Afghan women has provided critical aid and a needed expressive outlet for people whose very ability to speak is criminalized. Negotiating the risk of exposure with the growing need to platform these stories, Sara Taber has partnered with ROOM in the We Are The Light Series, available for free on ROOM's website. Taber showcases the bravery, wit, passion, and talent of these young women who are asking, above all else, to have their voices heard and their lives valued before it is too late.  "The story of Afghanistan, my young women informants have taught me, is yet more complicated even than a battle between communism, democracy, and Islamic forces or a battle over women’s position in society. Stories upon stories, I have learned, compose the story of a country. But just being a woman of a certain generation is not the whole story, either. My young informants have disabused me of the notion that there is one Afghanistan story."- Sara Taber "The Afghanistan Story" ROOM 10.24

This week, Aneta and Isaac speak with Xiaomeng Qiao, an analyst-in-training, writer, and game developer. Qiao examines the potential and the limitations of AI usage in analysis, self-understanding, and video game development. Qiao's work explores where generative technology can strike a harmony with analysis and where video games can mirror or enrich clinical work. "Despite the common perception of AI as all-powerful, I’ve discovered its profound limitations. Working with AI requires me to be a director, investing substantial effort in communication and curation. I cannot simply surrender control to the AI; the final decisions must be mine." — "The Seen and the Unseen: AI's Disquieting Impact," Xiaomeng Qiao, ROOM 6.25

Kissu Taffere, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in BIPOC and immigrant communities, shares her insights on the power of silence. After being laid off post-2016 election, she penned an impactful essay on silence's role in resisting authoritarianism. Kissu discusses how immigrant experiences shape perceptions of silence as a protective strategy and its crucial role in trauma therapy. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing patterns of repression to foster change and advocates for persistent work toward collective dignity.

At ROOM's fifth annual Gala held this past summer, we honored Lord John Alderdice with the Coline Covington Award for his courage in facing divisions, connecting communities, and forging peace through analytic thought. We are delighted to open our third season of Voices from ROOM with the Gala’s fireside chat between Lord Alderdice and Aneta Stojnić. They discuss the bravery required to face a dangerous and difficult world with transformative speech and writing. Alderdice stresses how vital it is to embrace new perspectives and foster communities that can survive disagreement. “Are there any indications of what kind of change in our thinking might bring us to the new paradigm I have talked about? Today, interdisciplinary connections are key. We have to move beyond our professional and academic silos.”— "Beyond Reason," Lord John Alderdice, ROOM 10.23Watch the video honoring Lord John AlderdiceNew episodes will be released twice a month on Thursdays;Listen and Subscribe today! 

Ipek S. Burnett, a cultural critic and co-chair of Human Rights Watch's Executive Committee, dives deep into the emotional toll of ecological crises and the concept of psychic numbing. She argues for critical consciousness and the need for psychological activism, emphasizing the strength found in vulnerability. Burnett critiques the superficial positivity of the happiness industry, advocating for open discussions about societal issues, especially with the younger generation. She connects Jungian psychology with activism, revealing how empathy can be a powerful tool for addressing injustices.

Rina Lazar, a clinical psychologist in Tel Aviv, offers a poignant anti-war viewpoint shaped by her experiences in a conflict zone. She examines the emotional complexities of identity and belonging amid societal unrest, sharing how historical trauma influences personal responsibility. The dialogue delves into the weight of ideology, emotional turmoil, and the therapeutic challenges faced when working with trauma-affected clients. Lazar also reflects on the dual nature of community and the importance of psychoanalytic theories in navigating our collective experiences.

This week, Aneta and Isaac talk with licensed clinical social worker Max Beshers. Beshers applies analytic thinking in spaces ranging from private practice to anti-racism reading groups to local activism efforts in Chicago geared towards ending police violence. Beshers contends with what 'radical' means now and the fear stoked by being seen as too radical or not radical enough. Beshers unveils a personal history with identity politics that strives to find the place between the elastic and the rigid, the descriptive and the confining, as he engages with a diverse patient base and larger community."Over the years, “radical” as a leftist political stance has tempted and haunted me. I was and am inspired by the wildly creative visions of a different world, without racism, without violence, without prisons, and yes, even without police."— Beshers, "Free Radicals" ROOM 2.25

In this discussion, Sue Grand, a faculty member at NYU specializing in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, explores the seductive elements of fascism. She connects toxic masculinity with charismatic leaders and examines how gender dynamics play a role in right-wing ideologies. Sue reflects on the allure of authoritarian rhetoric, especially during the Trump years, and the psychological factors at work in identifying with aggressors. The conversation emphasizes the importance of open dialogue and community support in resisting oppressive forces.

This week, Aneta and Isaac speak with Mary B. McRae, who describes her experience growing up in a segregated southern Black community, migrating to NYC as a teen, and her revolutionary days in groups like the Black Panther Party. Highlighting the importance affirmative action programs had for her generation, she reminisces about the doors that were open and closed to her as she made her way from being a young single mother to becoming a research psychologist, tenured professor, and current president of William Alanson White Institute.Read Mary's work in ROOM:"As a child, I played in this graveyard with other children. The pain and joy of those memories, owning our first house before losing it and migrating to New York. Not remembering difficult times or suffering is like dementia, a fear of repetition. I am the baby girl, the sixth of seven children, a sharecropper’s daughter." - Mary B. McRae, Notes from a Sharecropper's Daughter, ROOM 10.24