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Dr. James P. O'Hagan, member of the Board of Trustees, American Institute for Psychoanalysis , President of the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and member of the Editorial Board, American Journal of Psychoanalysis , died on March 12, 2007.
As far as I know he wrote no books and published no articles on psychoanalysis. But, he was my analyst for 18 years and had the greatest influence on me of anyone I have ever known. How can anyone capture what this man was like? Here is what I, and others who knew him, remember about him:
Jim had a willingness to know others, to hear their stories and to validate their experiences. He had a genuine interest in what a patient was saying and real curiosity which allowed one to naturally produce more associations. Even when I thought he wasn't listening, he would say something and I knew I was heard and understood. Jim had an ease about himself and his space that allowed the patient to feel comfortable and at ease in the room with him. He had a sense of humor and a hearty laugh that encouraged others to see the humor in life. Jim had a capacity to help me see experiences from different perspectives and not to be afraid to take a position.
Jim had a gift for finding the decency in people. My most memorable experience with him was during a session where he simply said: “Do you know you're a very decent person?” I hadn't known and I had never felt I was. That simple statement meant more to me than anything anyone had ever told me. That one little sentence created an avalanche that deconstructed and began to diminish my enormous self-hate and continues till this day to remind me of my humanity.
Jim had an appreciation for the process of psychoanalysis. Jim knew it as a relationship with a purpose of having the patient reflect on his/her experiences and feelings. He saw the analytic relationship as a close and intense experience, with often warm and heated feelings felt in session. In my work with Jim I learned that cold an