NEW YORK PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY & INSTITUTE:
Scientific Meeting
Marianne and Nicholas Young Auditorium
247 East 82nd St., between 2nd & 3rd, NY, NY, 10028
212-879-6900
www.psychoanalysis.org
www.nypsi.org
Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 8 – 10:00 PM
Eugene Mahon, M.D.
Screen Memories:A Neglected Freudian Discovery?
Discussant: Martin Silverman, M.D.
Register HERE, nypsi.org or 212-879-6900
In 1899 Freud introduced the concept of screen memories. His insights were revolutionary: Screen memories do not emerge into consciousness at the time of recall, he argued; they are formed at that time and, moreover, historical accuracy is not their prime concern. In fact, they conceal more than they reveal. Such memories seem ultra clear, as if to bring attention to their significance, but the clarity is a deception. Often it is the insignificant that is emphasized rather than the “real” thing. In this paper Dr. Mahon will review two of Freud’s screen memories and two from a completed analysis of one of his own patients. He will argue that if screen memories are formed, a concept such as screen work must be invoked as the agent of their formation. Screen work, like dream work, employs primary processes (condensation, displacement) to transform the complex thought content of memory into minimalist images of itself. This regression, engineered by primary processes, can account for the uncanny luminosity of the screen, not unlike the regression that transforms dream thoughts into luminous images. Furthermore, a close reading of Freud’s letters, Dr. Mahon will argue, makes it clear that one of his screen memories was formed in adolescence. Freud’s other screen memory seems to have been formed in adolescence as well and Dr. Mahon wll suggest that, while screen memories may theoretically be formed at any stage of life, adolescence may be a prime time for their formation. He will also speculate about the meaning of the luminosity and how, in the working through of analysis, the luminosity of the screen memory fades. He will conclude with some thoughts about the decline of interest in screen memories in recent psychoanalytic scholarship.
Dr. Eugene Mahon is a Training and Supervising Analyst on the faculty of the Columbia Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. He is also a member of The Contemporary Freudian Society and of The Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies, Princeton. Dr. Mahon has published many psychoanalytic articles on such diverse topics as dreams, play, parapraxes, humor, creativity, working through, screen memories, the uncanny, repression, and the Oedipus complex. He has published several articles on Shakespeare and, also, on Coleridge and Oscar Wilde. His plays (Yesterday’s Silence, In The Company of Ghosts, A Mouthful of Air, Anna and Sigmund at the Rue Royale, A Freud Vitruvius Dialogue) have been published in JAPA and in Art Criticism (SUNY Stony Brook). He has published poetry in The Antioch Review, The Irish Times and in Between Hours (ed. Salman Akhtar). His book, A Psychoanalytic Odyssey, was published in 2014 and Rensal The Redbit (a psychoanalytic fairytale) is currently in press with Karnac. Dr. Mahon, who is on the editorial board of The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, practices child and adult psychoanalysis in New York City.
Dr. Martin Silverman is a Training and Supervising Analyst and Supervising Child Analyst at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education affiliated with NYU School of Medicine and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey. He also is emeritus Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Silverman is Associate Editor and Book Review Editor of The Psychoanalytic Quarterly and is the author of over sixty psychoanalytic papers and book chapters and over seventy psychoanalytic book reviews.
All are welcome.
Educational Objectives:
After attending, participants will be able to
1. Describe the concept of screen memories, which require “screen work” to be initiated and maintained
2. Explain how screen memories can become one index among many of a readiness for termination of psychoanalysis
3. Describe how one of Freud’s letters can help to date the time of origin of one of his screen memories
Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of [2] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Psychologists: New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
DISCLOSURE: None of the planners or presenters of this CE program has any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Persons with disabilities: The building is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator. Please notify the registrar in advance if you require accommodations.
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