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This Sixth Congress was the first to be held in South America, where there is much interest in the field. Also, for the first time, the Congress preceded the International Psychoanalytical Association Congress—producing some interesting synchrony. The setting, along Copacabana Beach, was stunning. The international mix of delegates was inspiring, with many familiar faces and some new ones, too.
As in previous years, prior to the Congress there was an Educational Day, introduced by Maggie Zellner, and this orientated me and prepared me for the main event. Oliver Turnbull gave an overview of the physiology of sleep and dreaming, Lev Gertsik (California) gave an introduction to the neurochemistry and pharmacology of psychosis, and Howard Shevrin reviewed empirical findings from dream research. The talks reviewed a number of interesting effects—for example, as a feminist I was interested to learn that the content of women's dreams has changed as gender roles have changed. I was also reminded of findings that stress how we often forget our animality. Coming from a child-protection background, I was interested in neuro-psychoanalytic research that looks at animals that eat or smother their young, and its application to maternal ambivalence and aggression in our own species.
Yoram Yovell's historical review of clinical approaches to psychosis did a very good job of surveying a complex field, showing that there is no universally accepted definition of psychosis and that it can occur as part of many psychiatric, neurological, and general medical syndromes (where schizophrenia is merely the most severe and chronic psychotic disorder), and also the fact that schizophrenia, as currently defined by DSM-IV-TR operational criteria, is not one but several related disorders. It was also useful to have a review of the role of different dopamine pathways (mesolimbic vs. mesocortical) in the dichotomy between positive and negative symptoms.
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