About contemporary psychoanalysis
For those interested in understanding more about psychoanalysis and its applications in the wider world today the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) produces a regular podcast “Off the Couch”. It is a series of interviews produced and hosted by Harvey Shwartz, Chair of the IPA in Health Committee, and Steven Rolfe. Harvey meets psychoanalysts from all around the world who are working in diverse organisations as well as those in private practice. The podcasts are a series of conversations distributed two or three times a month, that are intended to expand awareness of the application of psychoanalytic thinking in the community. Subscription is open to everyone. You can listen to the latest episode (at the time of writing) and subscribe if you so wish, here:
A brand new episode of IPA’s On and Off the Couch has just been released : Episode 194: Teaching About the Dynamic Mind: Then and Now with Jonathan Shedler, PhD (San Francisco)
You can listen to it here : https://ipaoffthecouch.org/2025/11/30/episode-194-teaching-about-the-dynamic-mind-then-and-now-with-jonathan-shedler-phd-san-francisco
Thanks & Regards,
IPA’s On and Off the Couch
In this interview Jonathan Shedler talks about how “we bring our patterns with us wherever we go.” He attempts to get to the heart of what psychoanalysis is and how it differs from other therapeutic approaches. In particular he homes in on how an analysis creates a space in which to explore and put words to lived experience in a way that captures how the past overshadows the present. This differs from a purely intellectual understanding and ultimately can enable us to live more fully and freely in the present.
