Editorial Introduction

This second issue of PSC 2025 begins with a plenary given at the Rome conference on how climate concerns impact the therapeutic space. Neslihan Ruganci (Turkey) introduces and discusses papers by Susanna Federici (Italy), Emilio Stramba Badiale (Spain), and Penelope Starr-Karlin (USA). These panel papers are complemented with a superb paper by Anna Stothart on the human intersubjective relationship with the natural non-human world. We believe that these are important contributions to a self psychological understanding of the most pressing global concern of our time.

The journal continues with a diverse group of fine clinical research papers. Shir Shanun writes on how the “loving gaze” is transformative in therapy. Chantel Jackson and Sandra Lauffenberger explore how new notions of embodiment can expand possibilities for clinical interaction. Johanna Dobrich explains how to expand a dissociation-informed psychoanalytic practice. The section concludes with Xiaomeng Qiao’s striking paper on how traditional Chinese cultural expectations tend to produce toxic masculinity.

Also in this issue we initiate a new section entitled “Cultural Perspectives” with Sandra Hershberg as our new cultural editor. This section commences with Betty Canick’s moving painting and commentary, “Broken World”, followed by a prose/poem, “Grief’s Limitless Expansion”, by Darren Haber. Then George Hagman presents an intersubjective self psychological analysis of Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, which was also the subject of one of Heinz Kohut’s first published papers. We hope that these three pieces will encourage others to submit creative and applied psychoanalytic contributions.

Our book review is Sam Guzzardi’s analysis of Salmon Ahktar’s In Short: Private Notes of a Psychoanalyst.

This issue concludes with Meredith Nozick’s and Richard Geist’s letter to the editors which responds to letters published in the previous issue about their article on permeable boundaries.

As always, we welcome your comment