Vicissitudes of the psychoanalytic setting

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalysis
• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift from in-person to remote psychoanalytic sessions.
• This transition sparked debate regarding the efficacy of distance psychoanalysis.
• The fundamental concept of the psychoanalytic setting, including co-presence, was questioned.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the psychoanalytic setting in light of distance sessions.
• To explore the significance of physical co-presence for unconscious communication.
• To analyze the impact of session frequency on psychic life.

Main Methods:

• Historical review of the psychoanalytic setting concept (Freud to Bleger).
• Analysis of contemporary psychoanalytic discourse and International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) reports.
• Presentation of clinical examples and a detailed vignette.

Main Results:

• The physical presence of bodies is crucial for grounding psychic life and enabling unconscious communication.
• Distance settings may hinder the depth of unconscious interaction.
• Session frequency is a critical quantitative factor influencing psychic life.

Conclusions:

• The co-presence of analyst and patient in the same physical space is fundamental to the psychoanalytic process.
• Remote psychoanalysis presents challenges to core aspects of the setting.
• The frequency of sessions is a vital component that must be carefully considered in psychoanalytic practice.