The analyst as user illusion: therapy in the time of COVID-19

In his essay The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man, Jung states that 'The spiritual problem of modern man is one of those questions which are so much part of the age we live in that we cannot see them in proper perspective. Modern man is an entirely new phenomenon; a modern problem is one which has just arisen and whose answer still lies in the future' (Jung 1928, para. 148). During the pandemic, analytic treatment largely moved to online platforms. I propose an examination of the implications of video therapy for our experience and understanding of the analytic frame and container. Through the introduction of Marina Abramović's performance piece entitled The Artist is Present, which took place at MoMA, New York, in 2010, I explore some reverberations of technologically-mediated sessions. By putting Abramović's piece in context with some of my experiences, I draw conclusions regarding a technologically-mediated therapeutic paradigm. Supported by writings from authors André Sassenfeld, Tor Nørretranders and Iain McGilchrist, I introduce the concept of 'exformation' and investigate different neuroscientific presets of human perception and communication. I will ask how they might affect online therapeutic work and our experience of an embodied versus a virtual co-presence.