Intensive Study Group (ISG) Committee

The Intensive Study Group has had an invigorating and inspiring year. Following a highly successful Introductory Event and Year-Long course on the topic of “Trauma,” the creative co-Chairs Leslye Russell (NCSPP) and Sue Saperstein (PINC) passed the baton to me and Jane Kenner (PINC). Continuing the recent change in emphasis of the ISG from the study of a particular theoretical school to the study of a topic area from a variety of theoretical perspectives, our committee decided to focus on issues of gender and sexuality for the 2006-2007 ISG. We conducted an informal survey with local analytic clinicians that confirmed our enthusiasm about these topic areas and a keen interest in teaching about them among Bay Area analysts.

Psychoanalysis is still trying to free itself from the limits of the traditional binary notions of masculine/feminine, homosexual/heterosexual, normal/perverse. Entitled “At Play in the Field of Sexuality and Gender,” the 2006-2007 ISG takes up a deep exploration of the strands of contemporary ideas of gender and sexuality, as the field grapples with new information. Topics include the psychic formation of core gender identity, the complexity of sexuality and sexual expression, the reverberations of early trauma on sexual development, and the gendering of the therapeutic dyad. The intent of this year's ISG is that gender and sexuality can be seen not just in play, but also at play.

“Revisioning Gender: The Creative Psyche in the Sexed Body” is the title of The Introductory Event on September 16th, our kick-off for the yearlong course. Dada, “Little Hans” Oedipalization, and Surrealist art are focal points for our esteemed guests Ken Corbett and Donna Bassin. We're delighted to have the opportunity to bring Dr. Corbett back, by popular demand. He breathes new freshness and vibrancy into fundamental Freudian concepts that have too often become rigid and stale. We're also very excited to introduce Dr. Bassin to the Bay area, with her fascinating mix of