Psychoanalysis and Philosophy in Berlin
The text discusses the motivations behind becoming a psychoanalyst, emphasizing that intentions of healing and understanding typically stem from fantasy, which misaligns with the true role of an analyst. It argues that actual desire for analysis emerges only through personal analytic experience, leading to a novel relation to suffering and desire, independent of moral goals.
Join us for a reading seminar of Lacan's seminar on transference-love. I will be giving a seminar for the lovely Perrhesia School of Philosophy in Berlin. Starts: 13 May - ends 10 June (5 Tuesdays) Where: Golda Books and more, Anklamer Strasse 39, 10115 Berlin and online via Zoom Time: 7 - 9 pm CET Course description:Plato’s Symposium is… Continue reading Love is Giving What You Do Not Have: A Lacanian Reading of Plato’s Symposium
Lacan reminds us: love is not necessarily mutual. In analysis, it is the patient who loves, and the analyst who listens. This non-reciprocal love—far from being cold—is what makes psychoanalysis possible. Only by refusing to mirror love can the analyst help transform it, rather than dissolve it.
What can books teach us about being human? In this thoughtful interview, Olivia, an autistic reader, shares her top book recommendations and the insights they’ve given her about life, relationships, and self-reflection.
I’m thrilled to share the release of my new pamphlet with Everyday Analysis, titled "Against Reality.” You can buy it in digital or printed format here. One of the most common misuses of Freud’s notion of the “reality principle” is confusing it with the adaptation of the patient to reality. In doing so, many psychoanalysts… Continue reading Against Reality – A New Pamphlet with Everyday Analysis
I am excited to announce that I will be conducting a three-hour workshop on “Working with Neurodiversity” as part of the Program of Continuing Studies (PCS) at the Freud Lacan Institute in Dublin. 📅 Date: Saturday, June 15⏰ Time: 10:00 - 13:30 Dublin-GMT📍 Location: In-Person and via Zoom The Freud Lacan Institute is a fantastic Dublin-based initiative dedicated… Continue reading Working with Neurodiversity: Freud Lacan Institute Workshop in Dublin
Next week marks the beginning of an extensive seminar on clinical structures in psychoanalysis, a collaboration with Theory Underground. I am very excited about this project, which is designed to distinguish itself both in form and content. I am particularly looking forward to working closely with Dave from Theory Underground. Dave will be assisting me… Continue reading Extensive Seminar on the Clinical Structures
This seminar offers a deep dive into Lacan's psychoanalytic approach. The second installment spans five sessions, covering topics like transference, diagnosis, interpretations, the analyst's desire, and clinical case study building. It's open to all, whether or not they attended the first part. The hybrid format combines in-person and Zoom sessions.
I extend a warm invitation to join my five-part seminar with Parrhesia Berlin taking place in-person and online every week on Wednesdays at 7pm, starting this week. 5 Wednesdays - October 18, 25, November 1, 8, 15, 7- 9 pm Where: Gerichtstrasse 45, 13347 Berlin-Wedding or Zoom. For tickets. Jacques Lacan, a luminary in the… Continue reading The Psychoanalytic Act in Five Acts: The Direction of Treatment for Lacan
Darren Aronofsky's 2022 film, "The Whale", is a cinematic interpretation of Samuel D. Hunter's stage play of the same name. It delves into the last days in the life of Charlie (played by Brendan Fraser), a morbidly obese English teacher living in self-inflicted isolation. After acknowledging his impending demise due to compulsive eating and self-neglect,… Continue reading The Whale (2022): Film Review and Critique
Leon Brenner 