Psychoanalysis and the Israel-Palestine war: Perspectives on our relevance

The relevance of psychoanalysis to geopolitical matters of war and large group suffering is explored. The presence of polarization within small and large psychoanalytic collectives is seen as an effort to manage clinicians' sense of helplessness in the face of overwhelming human suffering. The impact on the clinician of the inability to alleviate suffering that is occurring on a massive level, the difficulty in remaining empathic when the suffering of the other is unimaginable, and the use of projection to maintain internal coherence are considered. The ethical foundation of psychoanalysis defined by Levinas as responsibility for the other is highlighted as essential to restoring cohesion within the profession. A ceasefire within the profession is posited as an essential step toward a restored ability to think together, engage productively with one another, and determine a constructive role for psychoanalysis in the currently violent sociopolitical surround.