WHAT IS THE UNCONSCIOUS, ANYWAY?
Comparative Analysis and Practice Implications
One of the cornerstones of psychoanalytic theory is the idea of the unconscious, but just what this means can be elusive. This course will review major psychoanalytic theories of the unconscious, including those of Freud, Klein, Bion, and Matte Blanco. We will discuss the role of the unconscious in object relations and developmental theories as well as consider the unconscious in light of contemporary explorations in consciousness. We will grapple with how we receive and work with unconscious communications in our work. Participants are encouraged to bring questions and clinical material to discuss.
- Participants will be able to discuss the importance and elusiveness of the idea of the unconscious in psychoanalytic thought.
- Participants will be able to explain the pioneering models of the unconscious mind offered by Sigmund Freud.
- Participants will be able to describe the evolution of the Kleinian idea of unconscious phantasy and its implications for clinical work.
- Participants will be able to describe the model of conscious and unconscious mind put forth by Matte Blanco and relational theorists.
- Participants will analyze the clinical and theoretical implications of different models of the unconscious.
- Participants will discuss their own ideas about the nature and process of the unconscious.
Bornstein, R. F. and J. M. Masling, ed. (1998). Empirical perspectives on the psychoanalytic unconscious.American Psychological Association (APA). doi: 10.1037/10256-000.
Megan Rundel, Ph.D., is a personal and supervising analyst and on the faculty of PINC. A graduate of the Center for Psychedelic Therapy and Research at CIIS, Dr. Rundel’s Oakland-based psychoanalytic practice combines her interest in depth psychology, spirituality, and psychedelic integration.

