Lives of the Unconscious

05/02/2023

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟑.𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

In contrast to “black depression,” white depression denotes an often inconspicuous, insidious affliction that can last a lifetime. Its distinguishing quality is a feeling of meaninglessness and emptiness that is nearly impossible to grasp, even if everything in life actually appears to be working out and there is reason to be joyful. As if, despite all efforts, it was simply impossible to truly believe in anything at all, as if all love and enthusiasm were simply a stage play, acted out for others. What this is all about and where such feelings towards life can come from is the subject of this episode.

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6vdb9mD86XFXRKMex3jlxh (spotify)

or on our website: www.psy-cast.org

01/12/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬

"...Generally unremarkable from the outside, while highly prone to conflict on the inside, the force binding these kinds of families together is nearly inescapable. In contrast to the “clan-family,” in which deviation is openly disapproved of and attacked, communications within the pseudo-community convey a subtle message of dependency, an intangible ban on separating and individuating oneself from the family: beyond the family, lies the threat of catastrophe. A violent clash ensues if any family member risks breaking away from the family, sometimes even leading to illness."

Link to the episode
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2AZ0BLaOtkjseVr1KJfYTK

18/10/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟏. 𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐝: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬

One couple fights over household responsibilities. Another is trapped in a cycle of jealousy and control. Still another strives for total harmony and oneness—only to be tormented by intense anxiety the moment small differences arise. With the help of the famous psychodynamic concept of collusion, this episode deals with the often conflictual relations between couples. We often encounter in romantic relationships the contours of our unconscious longings and fears, factors that are anchored in our personal history and that are decisive in the selection of a partner.

𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4oJsOASCJm4RIgFP9QtNdI

https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-31-a-lovers-bind-the-psychoanalysis-of-romantic-relationships/

22/09/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟎: 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

Addiction is one of the most widespread forms of mental illness. However, it is also burdened with many stigmas, and those suffering from it are often stigmatized. Treating it is considered difficult. But why do people become addicted? Can anyone become an addict? What is the psychological function of addictive behavior? This episode is an introduction to the psychoanalytic understanding of addictive disorders, focusing especially on the unconscious dynamics of shame and guilt.

Link: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-30-on-the-psychoanalysis-of-addictive-disorders/

20/08/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟗: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜. 𝐎𝐫: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝

“You are what you eat.” We are continuously negotiating our identity through food, setting the boundaries of the self. Inscribed into the symptoms of anorexia is an unconscious conflict of identity, which has something to do with one’s own longings and cravings, with a hunger for the other. In psychodynamic therapies, these longings become part of the therapeutic exchange, while also leading to a characteristic dilemma.

Link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-29-the-anorexic-dynamic-or-why-eating-disorders-are-not-about-the-food/

We are very happy about feedback and also if you recommend us!

In health,

your Lives-Team

20/07/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟖: 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

History has certainly never failed to offer reasons and occasions to cause violence of all sorts; making it understandable how Freud arrived at the following verdict towards the end of his life: “Homo homini lupus—man is wolf to man. Who in the face of all his experience of life and of history, will have the courage to dispute this assertion?”
One form of violence in particular has played an especially sinister role, at least in recent history and continuing up to the present: the destructive power of narcissistic hatred.

Link to the episode:
https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-28-malignant-narcissism-a-reservoir-of-hatred-and-violence/

13/06/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟕: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐦

The diagnosis of “narcissism” appears to have come into vogue, not only in the field of clinical psychology. It is an inescapable diagnosis for just about any critique of contemporary society. But what exactly are we talking about when we talk of narcissism? How do such diagnoses of our times relate to the clinical and psychoanalytical understanding of narcissism?

Link to the Episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/16Cfv5l239MnGiJWmFe6dY

Literature Recommendations:

- Freud, S. (1914/1999): On Narcissism. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud 14, 67-102.
- Gabbard, G.O., Crisp-Han, H. (2018). Narcissism and Its Discontents: Diagnostic Dilemmas and Treatment Strategies With Narcissistic Patients. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
- Kernberg, O. F. (1985). Borderline conditions and pathological narcissism. Rowman & Littlefield.
- Kohut, H. (1971). The Analysis of the Self: A Systematic Approach to the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorders. International Universities Press, New York.

Online Sources:

Aduriz, S. (2021). Narcissism today. Podcast of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA): Talks on Psychoanalysis: https://talksonpsychoanalysis.podbean.com/e/sabin-aduriz-narcissism-today/
Maccoby, M. (2020). Narcissism and Leadership. IPA Podcast: Off the Couch: https://ipaoffthecouch.org/2020/07/18/episode-59-narcissism-and-leadership-revisited-with-michael-maccoby-ph-d/

24/05/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟔: 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰.

Grief is one of life’s inevitable experiences, for we live in a world that is fleeting. Processing loss is one of the most difficult mental processes and yet every human being must face it. Some mourning processes are so severe that they lead to mental illnesses. This episode deals with the various phenomena and nuances of mourning and how therapy can accompany this process.

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bhNf4FApoaprJKZAUsmCJ

11/04/2022

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬: 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 (𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭)

How do psychodynamic therapies work? How does therapy proceed, how does it feel? We're back with a new series of podcast episodes and a new format. In "Tales of Therapy," we tell case stories from psychodynamic practice.

Link to the first Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7mAWYQuAeucqouY5mNEQjK

In our first episode, we tell the story of Alex, a man in his mid-thirties, who spent over four years in analysis, most of that time with three sessions a week. Alex came into therapy with psychosomatic symptoms and anxiety attacks for which there appeared to be no explanation. The story of therapy describes the development of mental space in which emotional meaning gradually emerges, thoughts and feelings connect, and inner chaos is organized. This is a delicate process, for an ominous light falls on the family history, even affecting Alex’s spirit, darkening his life for many years. The case history that also touches on the traumatic history of Europe and Russia, a history that casts its generational shadow on us to this day.

--- 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠, 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒; 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙.---

31/03/2022

Dear all,

the winter break has lasted a while and we have been busy with the production of new episodes. Next week we will be back with with a new season of episodes. We start with a new format in which we tell a psychoanalytic case story: Tales of Therapy.

We are very happy if you listen again!

Your podcast team

23/01/2022

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬

Dear Friends of the Unconscious,

Our podcast has been around for almost a year now. During this year we have explored various topics in the field of psychoanalysis: its scientific status, specific disorder types, but also social issues such as conspiracy theories or transgenerational trauma. We are very happy that we have attracted many new listeners interested in psychoanalysis!

We are now going on winter break to produce new episodes. We will be back in March and will expand our program to also include episodic case histories on psychoanalytic therapy. If you would like to support our project, we would be happy to receive a donation via Patreon or Paypal. We will use the money to produce more translations and episodes.
The podcast is a labor of love, a product of our own handiwork. We do not serve any institutional or commercial interests. We are all the more pleased if we can spark your interest in the Lives of the Unconscious.
All the best for the new year and see you soon!

Greetings from your Podcast Team

Soliman, Rebecca, Cécile & Jakob

Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes: www.patreon.com/lives

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to [email protected]

Donation via Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=X5F9LSUUUQDWU

05/01/2022

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟓: “𝐎 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.” — 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬

Attachment, love, always goes hand in hand with losses—thus happiness and sadness are also close relatives. In this episode we will hear more about why separation and loss not only mean suffering, but also play an important role for psychological development.

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3x3ZomUuMuDrcEwZVIZkpH

20/12/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟒: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬

Psychoanalysis is often equated with the work of Sigmund Freud. Contemporary modes of thought and therapeutic approaches such as relational psychoanalysis or mentalization-based therapy methods are often less well known, despite being central to current practice. This episode provides an introduction to the concepts of contemporary psychoanalysis.

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/16Cfv5l239MnGiJWmFe6dY

Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org

27/11/2021

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
(𝑃𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝐸𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒)

Conspiracy phantasma derive their power from affects, not from arguments. They cannot be understood by differentiating them from some supposedly reasonable normality – for normality may not be so reasonable after all – but only in the reflection of their affective cohesiveness.
In fact, they are a social psychological phenomenon of extraordinary proportions: and a case for depth psychology. In this episode we will hear more about the role conspiracy theories can play for the psyche and why they cannot be easily abandoned.

Link to the Episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/16Cfv5l239MnGiJWmFe6dY

Lives of the Unconscious 𝐴 𝑃𝑜𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑦

13/11/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟐: 𝐂.𝐆. 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬

The school of C.G. Jung has played a controversial role in psychoanalysis. More than almost any other psychological school, it grants a greater role to the symbolic world of the psyche, fairy tales, myths, and legends, but also alchemy or astrology. The significance of this spiritual reality is expressed at life-historical thresholds and in crisis situations, but also in anger over the lousy ending of a television series. Also reflected in the controversy surrounding C.G. Jung is an old conflict between enlightenment and myth.

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3M0BrfD0EVFh4dXuTZfHaB

Our Website: www.psy-cast.org

Lives of the Unconscious

31/10/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚 – 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

“𝐴 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑚𝑎 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒; 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐼𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒, 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒; 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑, 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦… 𝐵𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙?”

Link to the Episode:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SfwiuF6SoMhOTDEtbW6SA

www.psy-cast.org

16/10/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟎: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

“𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑚𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑗𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑, 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒’𝑠 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦.”

Lives of the Unconscious

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/76t5Yh20RpayFMCTp0Oy1g
Or on our Website: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-20-trauma-the-wounded-soul-post-traumatic-disorders/

02/10/2021

We are back from vacation and start a new series of episodes!

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟖: 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈: 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝

“What remains unresolved in the mind knows no time.”
This episode is the first of a three-part series on the psychoanalysis of trauma. In the first part we will hear about attachment and early childhood trauma and the impact it can have on our psychological development.

Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/16Cfv5l239MnGiJWmFe6dY

Or on our website: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-19-trauma-the-wounded-soul-early-childhood-trauma/

08/08/2021

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤

Dear friends of the unconscious,

with episode 18 we say goodbye for a short summer break! We will be working on new episodes and translations and are planning to record a new set of psychoanalytic case studies - plus we are taking a holiday! After the summer break, we will continue to work on clinical topics, like trauma and grief, and also want to return to various psychoanalytic concepts. You are welcome to send us further topics and ideas.

We would like to thank you very much for listening and for your interest, as well as for all the nice feedback! We would be delighted if you would recommend us to others and join us again in September on our journey through the amazing landscapes of the unconscious. But first we wish you a relaxing summer!

See you soon

Your Lives-of-the-Unconscious-Team,


Visit our website: www.psy-cast.org or our youtube-channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LivesoftheUnconscious

Join our newsletter: Write a mail with the subject "Newsletter registration" to [email protected]

_Support us on Patreon and get the scripts to the episodes_: www.patreon.com/lives

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02/08/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟖: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬

Link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-18-healing-through-understanding-how-psychoanalysis-works/

“And how is this supposed to work here?” This is the question that quite a few patients ask at the beginning of psychotherapy. How psychotherapy works—especially psychoanalytic treatment—is, at first glance, more difficult to explain than, say, the effect of a medical procedure. A physicians has instruments, to operate on a broken leg, prescribes exercises or drugs, for example an antibiotic. The patient soon feels better and the therapy has worked.
But what is it like in psychotherapy? Psychoanalysts have no book with therapy instructions, no exercises; they don’t have any pills in the cupboard or anything else that they can conjure up from some therapeutic toolbox. What, after all, is the “drug” in psychoanalysis?
In psychoanalysis the principle is: healing through understanding. But the questions remains: How can understanding cure a disease? In this episode we will explore the answer to this question.

17/07/2021

𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔.
𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟕: 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞” 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬.

link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-17-repression-rationalization-sublimation-the-mature-defense-mechanisms/

Over the course of a therapeutic session, a depressed patient talks about his work colleagues with whom he is working on a group project for his studies. The patient says: “Yesterday we wanted to meet to discuss our project and everyone brought their work. As we were exchanging ideas, I noticed that everyone else was already much further along with their work than me. I have the feeling that they are all much faster in thinking and have more energy and…,” the patient takes a short break and then says: “Well, but that’s just the way it is, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. There is nothing that can done about it…”
What is the defense here? And is it really functional? We will hear more about these and other forms of so-called “mature” defense mechanisms in this episode.

03/07/2021

𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔.
𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟔: 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬.
The division head of a company has called an important meeting. All employees are present at the agreed upon time, except for the boss. Only once an employee calls him does he remember the meeting and arrives significantly late. He apologizes cursorily and begins the meeting. In the next few minutes, in front of the assembled team, he criticizes specific employees unusually harshly for their work performance and for their failures until they feel very small and humiliated.
What is the function of the boss’ defense? And why is it called an early defense mechanism in psychoanalysis? More on this episode.

𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-16-denial-splitting-projection-the-early-defense-mechanisms/

19/06/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟓: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞-𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

Link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-15-compulsion-obsessiveness-and-obsessive-compulsive-disorders/

Everyone has their rituals that they insist upon observing more or less fastidiously and, if interrupted, would react to sensitively. From adhering to a particular daily routine, say, before an important exam or a date to athletes who cross themselves, put on their lucky socks, or perform some other ritual before competing.

Among the so-called obsessive-compulsive disorders there is a set of symptoms that those afflicted must follow by virtue of some inner compulsion, even when they do not want to—and which massively interferes with their ability to enjoy and cope with life, whereby there is no sharp distinction between normal and pathological compulsiveness.

Contemporary psychodynamic conceptions have worked out various aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorders and the psychological function they fulfil.

04/06/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟒: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞?

Link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-14-the-oedipus-complex-timeless-or-obsolete/

𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓𝑓: 𝑂𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑢𝑠 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑥. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑦𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦-𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑠, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑥𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑥𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦, 𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑦, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑥 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡? 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦?

21/05/2021

Episode 13: Borderline—A balancing act between psychological extremes

Link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-13-borderline-a-balancing-act-between-psychological-extremes/

Children are existentially reliant upon their primary caregivers concerning almost every sphere of life and, most of all, in relation to their need for love. If the caregivers are also those who attack this psychological survival, children face an unanswerable situation that has disastrous consequences for psychological development.

According to the psychoanalytic understanding, borderline is a severe structural disorder that often originates in early attachment experiences that were devastating or traumatic.

Characteristic symptoms, as is common for instance with so-called “cutting” or “black-and-white thinking”, thus represent organizational attempts—once again stabilizing and maintaining fragile self-states at moments in which inner emptiness and dissolution are felt. In this episode, we will move into the borderlands of the psyche, and try to understand some of the extreme experiential states of emotional experience and experience of the self.

08/05/2021

08/05/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

Link to the episode: https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-12-the-architecture-of-personality-structural-disorders/

Not all depression is the same, nor all forms of anxiety. The very same symptom can have completely different meanings for different people and can require different therapeutic approaches. For classification, the so-called level of structural integration is often used in psychoanalysis. It offers information on the architecture and composition of the structure of the psyche, which can be built more or less sturdy. How are these structures specified? How does one recognize where a symptom is located in these psychic structures? And what does this mean for therapy?

24/04/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟏: “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬.” – 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟

We all wear masks from time to time: at work, in front of our friends, sometimes even—or perhaps especially—within our family and in front of our partners. But there are people who find it difficult to ever take off this mask, who may not even know what their face would look like underneath. This episode deals with such questions of identity and the influential concept of the false self.

Lives of the Unconscious

https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-11-how-one-becomes-what-one-is-on-the-false-self/

Lives of the Unconscious

09/04/2021

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟎: 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

"While pathological fears may not appear plausible from the outside—they do in fact have an inner, i.e., psychological, significance. And that is the decisive factor, also for the treatment of anxiety disorders. What is feared or arouses fear lies within and is, for the most part, even unconscious to one’s self. Psychoanalytic treatment would not content itself with merely combating the symptoms of anxiety. For, as we have heard, these are usually not the causes of suffering at all, but only the alarm system pointing to certain other issues or indicating that the psychological balance of a person has begun to falter. 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑠𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑚."

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https://psy-cast.org/en/episode-10-fear-and-anxiety-disorders/

Lives of the Unconscious