Emotion Center Masterclass
Copenhagen’s Emotion Center is pleased to present our “masterclass” teaching series. In these courses, we offer advanced-level training by prominent clinicians, who have inspired us over the years – our “masters”. While our intention is to offer courses suited to stimulate clinicians with a firm grasp of the technique and metapsychology of ISTDP, we warmly welcome colleagues at all levels of proficiency.
Three online presentations
We are thrilled to present this series of three online lectures by Dr. Rudolf Bleuler, a long-time student of Davanloo and former president of the Swiss Society for ISTDP. In his lectures, Dr. Bleuler will cover an array of central topics in ISTDP: How to take the process into the transference, how and when to apply the HOC, and how to work with psychosomatic patients. The series of presentations also offers a thorough introduction to the vigorous and direct style of ISTDP that Dr. Bleuler learned during his many years of training with Davanloo, as illustrated in his article in Dr. Davanloo’s journal, the International Journal of Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (download here). Each presentation is generously illustrated with vignettes from Dr. Bleuler’s practice, spanning a wide range of patients. More information on each presentation can be found below. While we recommend attending the three presentations as an ongoing series, it is also possible to register for them individually.
Practical information:
Time: February 10th, April 14th, and June 2nd. All presentations at 16.00 – 19.00 CET.
Replays: All presentations are recorded and will be made available for re-viewing on the weekend after the presentation takes place. Participants can view replays even if they are not able to attend the live presentations.
Place: Online via Zoom
Qualifications: Since the presentations contain personally sensitive material, the class is for mental health professionals only, and requires a vow of confidentiality.
Registration: Contact Mikkel Reher-Langberg via: emotioncentermasterclass@gmail.com
Price: All three presentations: 1200 dkk / 165 eur.
Individual presentations: 450 dkk / 65 eur.
Attendance paid by public institutions may be subject to additional danish VAT (moms).
Payment: After applying for registration, you will receive an invoice with payment information. The invoice must be paid within a week, and after payment, your registration will be confirmed by email.
Presentation 1
February 10
Bringing the process into the transference
In the technique of ISTDP, the transference dimension plays a central role. Ideally, the therapist’s task is to systematically tilt the patient’s resistance into this dimension, where it can be addressed directly. It is only here, in the transference, that the full potential of our technique can be utilized. But finding a way to address the patient’s difficulties in terms of the transference relationship can be difficult. Oftentimes, we find ourselves stuck in exploration of the patient’s current life, lacking a way to bring the process into the transference where work with the patient’s resistance becomes tangible and meaningful to both patient and therapist. In this seminar, Dr. Bleuler will offer advice on how to bring the process into the transference, illustrating this process with an array of patients from his own practice.
Presentation 2
April 14th
The Head-On Collision with the resistance
The Head-on-Collision (HOC) is the most powerful intervention in ISTDP, having the highest rate of subsequent breakthroughs of the unconscious mixed feelings towards the genetic figures. Nevertheless, it is the most neglected therapeutic instrument in Habib Davanloo’s technique. In his presentation, Rudolf Bleuler will make an array of suggestions on how to apply the HOC. First, the preconditions that have to be fulfilled before the therapist can move to a Head-on Collision will be described. Secondly, Bleuler will describe the components of the HOC and their metapsychological aspects, using a number of video-demonstrations. Finally, he will describe some of the most common errors in the application of the HOC. Throughout, Rudolf encourages each therapist to find her or his own personal way to apply this intervention.
Presentation 3:
June 2nd
Working with psychosomatic disorders
The clinical pictures of psychosomatic disorders are very diverse, and so are the various theoretical attempts at explaining them. Up to the end of the last century, the term “psychosomatic” was often abused as a kind of waste-bin for diseases with an unknown etiology. Fortunately, this has changed in the meantime. Nevertheless, part of the diseases diagnosed today as psychosoamatic remain in their pathogenesis complex or even enigmatic. In his presentation, Rudolf Bleuler shows that the majority of psychosomatic disorders can be understood within the metapsychology of Habib Davanloo as manifestations either of anxiety or of defenses. This makes these conditions treatable with ISTDP. For this reason, ISTDP is also a treatment model of interest for psychotherapeutically working somatic specialists. In his presentation, Rudolf will illustrate an ISTDP perspective on psychosomatic disorders with video vignettes from his treatment of a patient with irritable bowel syndrome.
