The Australian Association of Group Psychotherapists is presenting a morning seminar on 8 November 2014 at 18 Erin Street, Richmond from 9.00 until 1.00pm. The Seminar is for people interested in the History of Psychoanalysis and in the Politics of Discourse.

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In their recent biography of Trigant Burrow  the editors Edi and Giorgio Pertagato refer  to him as an “AN ILLUSTRIOUS UNKNOWN MAN”. Their work, a reclamation of Burrow and his work as a psychoanalytic theorist, shows his thinking about group analysis predicted the work of Foulkes. Conceptually Burrows pioneered a clear theoretical shift from drives to relationship and relatedness which made him unpopular with Freud. He began working psychoanalytically with groups in the early 1900’s, and coined the group analytic terms “matrix”, “group analysis” and “social unconscious”.Burrows’ name and creativity has almost completely disappeared from the history of Psychoanalysis and Group Analysis. S.H.Foulkes, acknowledged as the father of Group Analysis, mentioned him but, the Pertagatos argue, did not acknowledge Burrows’ contribution sufficiently.

Burrow was an analyst who trained with Freud, was analysed by Jung. In 1911 he founded the American Psychoanalytic Association with Ernest Jones and others, and was the first co-president of the American Psychoanalytic Society.

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Dr Paul Coombe and Dr Peter Hengstberger will both present papers based upon their reading of Burrows’ work.

Paul Coombe’s Paper: ”FREEDOM, CREATIVE THINKING, PSYCHOANALYTIC DISCOURSE AND POWER’, will  explore some of these ideas and look at how creative and paradigmatic breakthroughs are not enough. They they need a receptive place to grow. Entrenched, privileged and organised power cliques can dominate and squeeze out divergent streams of thought.

Dr Peter Hengstberger, in his paper: ”SOME THOUGHTS ON THE WORK OF TRIGANT BURROW AND HOMOPHOBIA’, will focus more directly on particular aspects of Burrow’s work which are also related to the dominant and entrenched views of the time and culture.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr Paul Coombe is a psychiatrist and individual and group psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Melbourne. He was formerly Consultant Child Psychiatrist at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne and Overseas Senior Registrar in Psychotherapy at the Cassel Hospital,London from 1990 to I993. He is the immediate past president of the AAGP and a member of the Victorian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists. He has published widely in local and international journals including in areas of family therapy, psychoanalytic aspects of eating disorders, small and large analytic groups, Munchausen’s Syndrome by proxy and the works of William Shakespeare.

Dr Peter Hengstberger is a psychiatrist and individual and group psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Brisbane. He is the current President of the Australian Association of Group Psychotherapists and a member of the Queensland Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Association.

DETAIL

Cost for non-members of AAGP $60.00

For catering purposes please register by email to Dr Frances Minson
frances.minson[at]gmail dot com
You are very welcome to stay to lunch.
AAGP website : http://www.groupanalysis.net.au