Integration is among the achievements we value most in psychoanalysis, so we're pleased to welcome this month's PIECE OF MIND contribution from Joseph Bobrow of the Deep Streams Institute. His organization fosters the cross-pollination of analysis and Buddhism, a fertile enterprise that broadens the reach of analytic thinking while raising questions about the spiritual dimensions of our work.

Also in this issue, NCSPP President Beth Steinberg reflects on the strange and compelling process of being interviewed for analytic candidacy, and Louis Roussel offers a vivid description of the way in which a patient's experience can come alive in the person of the therapist.

We hope that you enjoy this month's issue, and we hope you'll join NCSPP or contribute to our scholarship fund to assist us in fostering a vibrant psychoanalytic community in Northern California.

This month I'll focus on the personal interviews in my series on the process of applying for analytic training. The personal interviews in the admissions process focused on me — material about my internal and personal life — and required me to be self reflective, revealing intimate details about my history. In contrast, the clinical interviews called for me to present my work as a psychoanalytic therapist, showing my thinking about this work and demonstrating how I might make use of a consultative other.

What struck me most was having to be completely transparent, honest, non-defensive and revealing — much like how one might be in one's own analysis — in the context of being judged and evaluated. I found this very disturbing but extremely profound. There was little in the external interaction that I could rely on to foster a sense of comfort or encouragement, yet continual self-disclosure was required. So it forced me to encounter my own deep reliance on my convictions about what I think of as analytic truths: the importance of self reflection and of facing pain and painful truths. As jarring and disturbing as the interviews were, encountering the internalized objects, relationships and guiding principles that they required was actually quite strengthening.

The process made me reflect on the role of personal material in a professional interview process. We are in a very unique profession in this day and age where legal action around employment is commonplace and where whole human resources departments are set up to handle personal and psychological matters in a proscribed and structured manner. How strange it is to have personal details about oneself have real bearing in an interview process! Of course this makes sense to most of us in this field both because the work that we do so much involves the use of our selves and because we are all invested in safeguarding our profession, patients and training institutions from individuals who would be harmful. Most of us agree on the need for some assessment of personality factors in doing this very intensive and sensitive work. I believe it is an ongoing question how these factors would be best assessed.

Beth Steinberg, Ph.D.
President, NCSPP

The response to the publication in 1995 of Thoughts Without a Thinker, written by the Buddhist psychiatrist Mark Epstein, was but one indication of the burgeoning interest in mindfulness and Buddhism among psychotherapists. Psychotherapy and Buddhism help us transform suffering and realize our full human potential. They overlap in important ways, yet each offers distinctive elements that potentiate and enrich the other.

Since 1999 Deep Streams Institute has provided continuing education for the enrichment and well-being of psychotherapists, drawing on the teachings of mindfulness and Buddhism, psychoanalysis, the creative arts, and leading edge science such as interpersonal neurobiology. We also serve the community by bringing together psychoanalytic and Buddhist principles and practice through innovative programs with high-risk youth and, soon, returning Iraq war veterans.

Deep Streams offers a variety of study groups, workshops and conferences. At recent residential conferences, psychotherapists from around the country came together to create a community of learning. The learning was integral, engaging head, heart, body and soul with stimulating presentations, genuine dialogue, a safe space to think feel and be together, meditation practice, and expressive arts performances. Many found that "something shifted" in their practice and their outlook and were grateful for a unique, stimulating and transformative educational opportunity.

We invite you to join us as we practice, study and evolve together ­ and share the fruits for the benefit of all beings. For more information call (415) 487-8742 or visit our web site.

Joseph Bobrow, Ph.D.
Director, Deep Streams Institute

This space is available for psychological organizations in Northern California who want to articulate their relationship to the local psychoanalytic community. Please see our submission guidelines to express interest in contributing.

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The term "blog" refers to a web-based journal wherein individuals offer up their personal experiences to anyone with a web browser. The editors at IMPULSE sought out a local analytic candidate willing to "blog" his experience in training. Our intrepid volunteer is Dr. Louis Roussel, Ph.D., a 4th year candidate at SFPI who maintains a private practice in Oakland. Following is his fourth entry. Note that identifiers and details have been altered to protect confidentiality.

2006 Apr: I had just returned from my vacation feeling fully restored, refreshed, and very confident. My clothes were freshly pressed and starched, my shoes shined, and my hair recently trimmed. I looked at myself admiringly in the mirror and fantasized about becoming a famous analyst someday.

I hadn't seen my patient for a week, but I still felt the glow of self-satisfaction from our recent work together. She really seemed to be making progress looking at and reflecting upon her propensity for profound feelings of shame and humiliation.

I greeted her in the waiting room with a feeling of excitement and naive enthusiasm. Her first words of the session shot out fast and hard. She said, "I saw you jogging at the park the other day. You looked like a big spider!" I wasn't ready for that hit. I can suddenly feel my former exuberance plummeting rapidly. Images of my tall, lanky body in black jogging suit begin to occupy my thoughts. Do I really look like a big spider? I feel my face flush. I want to hide, run away. What just happened? I had been feeling so hopeful and enthusiastic before this shameful attack.

She then angrily handed me a letter that she had written to her mother. I remember her speaking poignantly of this letter in our last session. She had been so hopeful that it would lead to greater honesty and loving connection. It was returned to her. The letter she had written was now covered in her mother's grammatical corrections, a shameful web of sadistic lines. Message received.

Louis Roussel, Ph.D.

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The San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute and Society introduces a new monthly program where a member of the Friends of SFPI&S will present a case to other members in a casual conference setting. An SFPI&S analyst will lead off discussion. As the moderator at each forum, analyst Elizabeth Simpson, LCSW, will facilitate an informal creative exchange where ideas can be safely discussed.

This is an exciting opportunity for members of the Friends to meet, to discuss clinical material in a safe and comfortable setting, and to meet analysts at SFPI&S.

The first forum will take place Tuesday, May 16, from 7 to 9 PM at the SFPI&S Library, 2420 Sutter Street, San Francisco. Our presenter will be Renée Spencer, Ph.D. Julie Ruskin, Ph.D., member and faculty, SFPI&S, will be the respondent. The forums will be free to members of the Friends of SFPI&S and limited to 25 attendees. Call (415) 563-5815 to sign up. Visit the SFPI&S web site to learn more.

Want EVENT SPOTLIGHT to shine on your upcoming analytic happening? You'll find our submission guidelines illuminating.

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Appointment Book offers a sampling of the psychoanalytically oriented events taking place in Northern California over the coming month. Where available, simply click an event title to view details on the sponsoring organization's web site.

Theater on the Couch: "A Number" by Caryl Churchill
Fri, May 5 / 8 PM / Geary Theater / San Francisco
SFPI&S / Jed Sekoff, Ph.D. / $21 - $65

Law and Ethics
Sat, May 6 / 9 AM - 4 PM / 2420 Sutter Street / San Francisco
SFPI&S / Susana Winkel, Ph.D. / $60

Open House: Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis L.A. Distance Training
Sun, May 7 / 4:30 - 6:30 PM / 3022 Steiner Street / San Francisco
ICPLA / Bay Area Candidates / free

Scientific Meeting with Mary Main and Erik Hesse
Mon, May 8 / 7:30 - 9:30 PM / SFPI&S Library 2420 Sutter Street / San Francisco
SFPI&S / Mary Main, Ph.D. and Erik Hesse, Ph.D. / free

Rose Gupta's Graduation Paper: "Left for Dead: The Experience of Erasure"
Sat, May 13 / 9:30 - 11 AM / Laurel Heights, 3333 California Street / San Francisco
PINC / Discussant: Samuel Gerson, Ph.D. / free

Vienna Scientific Meeting on May 15, 1907: Wittels' Essay: "Female Physicians"
Mon, May 15 / 7:30 - 9 PM / PINC Library, 2252 Fillmore Street / San Francisco
PINC / Word for Word Theater Company / $25

Friends Clinical Forum
Tue, May 16 / 7 - 9 PM / SFPI&S Library, 2420 Sutter Street / San Francisco
Friends of SFPI&S / Clinical Case Presentation / free

Theater on the Couch: "A Number" by Caryl Churchill
Fri, May 19 / 8 PM / Geary Theater / San Francisco
SFPI&S / Peter Goldberg, Ph.D.; Linda Lagemann, Ph.D. / $21 - $65

"Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams
Sat, May 20 / 8 PM / Berkeley Repertory Theater / Berkeley
PINC / Discussed by Samuel Gerson, Ph.D. / $49

Grand Rounds: Fatherlessness and the Quest for a Father
Wed, May 24 / 6 - 7:15 PM / 401 Quarry Rd, Rm. 2209 / Stanford Psychiatry Bldg / Stanford
SFPI&S / Stanley Cath, M.D. / free

Aging from a Psychoanalytic Perspective
Sat, Jun 3 / 9 AM - 12 PM / PINC Library, 2252 Fillmore Street / San Francisco
PINC / Nancy Drooker, Ph.D. / $75

Lacanian Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Supervision
Sat, Jun 3 / 10 AM - 4:30 PM / 2820 Adeline / Berkeley
Lacanian School / Raul Moncayo, Ph.D. / $100 - $135

Perspectives on the Therapeutic Relationship
Sat, Jun 3 / 9 AM - 4:30 PM / Genentech Hall, UCSF Mission Bay / San Francisco
SFPRG / David Burns, M.D.; Hanna Levenson, Ph.D.; George Silberschatz, Ph.D.;
Patricia Wood, Ph.D.; John Young, M.D. / $30 - $150

Psychoanalytic Impasses: Case Consultation and Reading
Tue (ongoing) / 1:10 - 2:15 PM / 550 Hamilton Ave. #240 / Palo Alto
Individual Sponsor (Mary Jane Otte, Ph.D.) / (650) 326-6663 / $60 per meeting

Psychoanalytic Case Conference
Wed (ongoing) / 10:30 AM - 12 PM / Albany
Individual Sponsor (Maureen Franey, Ph.D.) / (510) 527-6141 / $45 per meeting

Current Views on Psychoanalytic Core Concepts: Transference
Wed (ongoing) / 11:20 AM - 12:50 PM / 550 Hamilton Ave. #240 / Palo Alto
Individual Sponsor (Lynn Alexander, Psy.D.) / (650) 328-8505 / $45 per meeting

Collaborative Group Consultation — Independent Psychoanalytic Perspective
Wed (ongoing) / 11:40 AM - 1:05 PM / 301 B Saratoga Road / Los Gatos
Individual Sponsor (Hugh Grubb, M.A.) / $45 per meeting

Psychoanalytic Clinical Study Groups
Wed or Fri (ongoing) / 10 - 11:30 AM (W) or 11:30 AM - 1 PM (F) / 587 Walavista Ave. / Oakland
Individual Sponsor (Dawn Farber, Psy.D., M.F.T.) / (415) 673-7744 / $50 per meeting

Building a Child Psychotherapy Practice: Case Consultation and Reading
Thu (ongoing) / 12 - 1 PM / 550 Hamilton Ave. #240 / Palo Alto
Individual Sponsor (Mary Jane Otte, Ph.D.) / (650) 326-6663 / $60 per meeting

Psychoanalytic Case Consultation and Reading Group
Fri (ongoing) / 10:30 AM - 12 PM / 20688 Fourth Street / Saratoga
Individual Sponsor (Alan Kessler, Ph.D.) / (408) 868-9405 / $45 per meeting

Ongoing Study and Supervision Group
Fri (ongoing) / 1 - 2:15 PM / 560 Oxford St. #8 / Palo Alto
Individual Sponsor (Miriam Bar, Ph.D.) / (650) 813-1270 / $45 per meeting

To submit an event, please see our submission guidelines.

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ANALYTIC STUDENT GATHERING: Fostering a community of colleagues, psychoanalytically oriented students and beginning clinicians are invited for food, drink and conversation at a home in SF. Fri., June 2. Learn more.

FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT: NCSPP's scholarship fund makes analytic classes available at reduced fees for students in need. Contribute today.

Old couches, new books, hot jobs, cool internships? Post classified ads on NCSPP's online bulletin board at no charge. We will also feature your listing in IMPULSE for a modest fee. Please see our submission guidelines for details.

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The Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) is committed to the study of psychoanalytic psychology and the encouragement of its interest in the professional and general communities. We are a multi-disciplinary, non-profit membership organization open to mental health professionals and all others interested in the study of psychoanalytic psychology.

Our more than 650 members form a community that spans the greater Bay Area and Northern California. NCSPP is a local affiliate of Division 39 (psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association. Our vast array of lectures, intensive study groups, scientific meetings, courses, our journal fort da, and numerous special events and projects are all brought to you by scores of volunteers who work to support NCSPP's mission. Our educational programs include continuing education credit for psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers. We welcome you into the psychoanalytic community in Northern California. Please join us.

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Beth Steinberg, Ph.D., NCSPP President
Cleopatra Victoria, M.A., MFT, Editor
Cate Corcoran, M.A., Features Editor
Brad Falconer, M.A., Managing Editor

Each month, IMPULSE reaches over 1,375 psychoanalytically oriented professionals and students in Northern California.

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Event listings in APPOINTMENT BOOK are available for your psychoanalytically oriented educational or professional event. To submit your event for consideration, please use our online form.

Contributions to PIECE OF MIND, our feature profiling Northern California psychoanalytic organizations, will be assigned on a monthly basis. If you'd like to suggest an organization to be featured in this space, please send an email using our online form with the subject PIECE OF MIND. Please do not send attachments or files.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT lets you promote your upcoming analytic event in more depth and detail than is possible in APPOINTMENT BOOK. The cost is $100 per month for up to 150 words describing your event. A maximum of one EVENT SPOTLIGHT will run each month. Please begin by expressing interest in EVENT SPOTLIGHT in an email via our online form. Once approved, send payment to NCSPP, c/o Michele McGuinness, 12 Hampton Ave., San Anselmo, CA 94960, and send your copy via our online form. Please do not send attachments or files.

POTENTIAL SPACE is a place within IMPULSE for play — a home for a creative, unconventional, or otherwise novel contributions. Submissions should be emailed via our online form. Due to length restrictions and thematic constraints, we cannot guarantee that your submission will be published. However, we encourage you to express yourself and help us open the space. Please note that you must be the copyright owner of anything you submit, and your submission constitutes permission for IMPULSE to publish your submission via email and on the web in perpetuity without any compensation.

You can list your psychoanalytically oriented jobs, internships, for sale items, announcements, etc. in CLASSIFIEDS. The cost is $20 per month for a 30-word ad. Please send payment to NCSPP, c/o Michele McGuinness, 12 Hampton Ave., San Anselmo, CA 94960. Email your ad copy as a text-only email using online forms with the subject CLASSIFIEDS.

DEADLINES: To be considered for publication, submissions must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publication. (For example, September 15 for the October issue.) NCSPP and IMPULSE staff reserve the right to decline any submission at our sole discretion.

IMPULSE's complete submission guidelines can be found on the NCSPP web site.

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IMPULSE is published electronically once a month by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology. Comments are welcome and should be sent via our online form.

You are receiving this monthly newsletter from the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) because of your interest in psychoanalysis. Any mental health professional or student interested in psychoanalytic thought may subscribe free to IMPULSE, regardless of organizational affiliation. To ensure that IMPULSE isn't misidentified as junk mail, we recommend adding impulse@ncspp.org to your email program's address book. If you haven't done so already, click to confirm your interest in subscribing. To unsubscribe, click the SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this message.

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