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Last Spring, in fort da, I ended my report by stating:
My hope for our community this year is to try to create more moments… of genuine human contact and connection, more moments of realizing why we want to be part of a community while attempting to reduce reasons why it may still feel hard for people to lean into community, and more moments of creative thinking, reframing, redefining, recommitting, and less falling into old patterns or doing things because that's how it has always been done, more moments of feeling included, thought of, belonging, supported, seen, and less of feeling othered, excluded, deprioritized, and invisible. (p. 7, italics in original)
So how did we do? My sense is that we are getting it right more and more, and my remarks below will hopefully articulate why I think so, but please reach out and let me know what you think at: cturner@ncspp.org.
On February 3, 2025, the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) held its Board retreat, which was attended by its current Board members. We gathered on a rainy day at the comfy home of fort da's long-standing editor, Peter Silen, enjoyed a beautiful lunch, and discussed the state of affairs and our vision for NCSPP. At various points throughout the day, as we sat and thought together, each of us would notice out loud how nice it was just to be together, in person, something we had once taken for granted. With this, the Board has made a decision to begin meeting in person for our Board meetings throughout the year again. We will be together in the East Bay and start the meetings sharing food, drinks, eye contact, and, hopefully, smiles, as we did before COVID. Will the traffic be awful? I'm sure. Will the time for travel feel like a loss? Probably. But wow, am I impressed with the willingness of this group to connect, create, and commit to the mission of NCSPP and each other. It warms my heart, and I am really looking forward to it.
Maybe it goes without saying, but the recovery