Wilhelm Reich and Psychoanalysis
AN ONLINE CONFERENCE – AUGUST 13 TO 15, 2021
Wilhelm Reich and Psychoanalysis
AN ONLINE CONFERENCE
AUGUST 13 TO 15, 2021
Reexamining Wilhelm Reich’s role as a legitimate pupil of Sigmund Freud, this conference focuses on Reich’s work as an integral part of the history of psychoanalysis. A prolific writer and innovative theorist, Reich had a pervasive impact on central analysts of his generation, including Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Otto Fenichel, Karen Horney, Erich Fromm and others. Few analysts from his generation had such a close personal relationship with Freud as Wilhelm Reich, and there are several glowing statements from Freud about Reich’s diligence and skills, indicating that he at one point was one of Freud’s “favorite children.” Reich was correct, however, in perceiving that Freud argued against his political convictions in “Civilization and its Discontents.” “I was the discontented one,” as Reich later said.
This conference presents fresh contributions from renowned analysts and historians of psychoanalysis in three different countries, bringing forth new material on Wilhelm Reich’s place in the history of psychoanalysis.
Siri Gullestad, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Oslo, Norway
Relational Oriented Character Analysis – Inspired by Wilhelm Reich
An active psychoanalyst, Siri Gullestad is a member and former president of the Norwegian Psychoanalytic Society and a training and supervising analyst at the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA). Her latest book is The Theory and Practice of Psychoanalytic Therapy: Listening for the Subtext, with Bjørn Killingmo (Routledge 2020).
Stefan Hampl, Ph.D.
Vice Dean of the Psychology Faculty at Sigmund Freud University, Vienna
Exploring Reich’s Childhood in Galicia and Bukovina
Stefan Hampl has studied psychology at the University of Vienna and has received clinical psychoanalytic training at Weill Cornell Medical College, NY. Since 2015, he has been travelling to Reich’s birthplace in Galicia and childhood farm in Bukovina, exploring local archives and history to shed light on Reich’s early years.
Jonathan Koblenzer, M.D.
Psychoanalyst
Wilhelm Reich’s ‘The Impulsive Character’: A Pioneering Study of the Borderline Personality
Dr. Koblenzer is board certified in internal medicine and psychiatry, and trained in psychoanalysis. He is on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College and the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Koblenzer practices psychotherapy in New York City.
Håvard Friis Nilsen, Ph.D.
Professor of Social Science at Ostfold University College, Norway
Active Analysis: Sàndor Ferenczi and Wilhelm Reich
Håvard Friis Nilsen studied history and philosophy of science at the University of Oslo, Universite Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, and the University of Cambridge. He has published several books and articles, among them “Resistance in Therapy and War” in The International Journal of Psychoanalysis (2013).
Elizabeth Ann Danto, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Social Science at Hunter College, New York
Wilhelm Reich’s Contributions to Anna Freud’s Journal of Psychoanalytic Pedagogy
Elizabeth Ann Danto is the author of Freud’s Free Clinics – Psychoanalysis and Social Justice, 1918-1938 (Columbia University Press, 2007) and lives in Vienna.
Henry Lothane, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York
Wilhelm Reich as Cassandra: The Mass Psychology of Fascism
Henry Lothane has written extensively on the history of psychoanalysis, including studies of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Daniel Paul Schreber, Sabina Spielrein, and psychoanalysis under Nazism. In this presentation, Dr. Lothane speaks extemporaneously about the influence of Wilhelm Reich on his work. His paper may be downloaded here: Wilhelm Reich revisited: the role of ideology in character analysis of the individual versus character analysis of the masses and the Holocaust
Jennifer Evans, Ph.D.
History of Science, Harvard University, Independent Scholar
Libido in the Lab: Contextualizing Reich’s Bioelectrical Experiments
Jennifer Evans studied history of science at Harvard University and wrote her Ph.D. thesis on Reich’s bioelectrical experiments and their connection with psychoanalysis.
Conference Schedule
|
Day One – August 13 | |
| Welcome Message | Renata Reich Moise, Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust |
| Introduction to the Conference | Håvard Friis Nilsen, Conference Organizer |
| Relational Oriented Character Analysis – Inspired by Wilhelm Reich | Siri Gullestad, Ph.D. |
| Exploring Reich’s Childhood in Galicia and Bukovina | Stefan Hampl, Ph.D. |
| Roundtable Discussion | Various |
|
Day Two – August 14 | |
| Wilhelm Reich’s ‘The Impulsive Character’: A Pioneering Study of the Borderline Personality | Jonathan Koblenzer, M.D. |
| Active Analysis: Sàndor Ferenczi and Wilhelm Reich | Håvard Friis Nilsen, Ph.D. |
| Wilhelm Reich’s Contributions to Anna Freud’s Journal of Psychoanalytic Pedagogy | Elizabeth Ann Danto, Ph.D. |
| Roundtable Discussion | Various |
|
Day Three – August 15 | |
| Wilhelm Reich as Cassandra: The Mass Psychology of Fascism | Henry Lothane, M.D. |
| Libido in the Lab: Contextualizing Reich’s Bioelectrical Experiments | Jennifer Evans, Ph.D. |
| Roundtable Discussion | Various |
| Closing Message | James Strick, Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust |
The conference will be conducted over Zoom video for up to 4 hours each day for 3 days, August 13, 14 and 15, 2021. Each presentation will be approximately one hour long including a live question and answer session. Some presentations may be pre-recorded. There will be occasional breaks. Videos of all presentations will be posted so that registrants may view them on demand. Each day’s session will conclude with a roundtable discussion.
Presentations will be in English. Simultaneous translation into Spanish by a professional translator on a separate audio channel will be provided.
The conference will begin each day at 12:00 noon and end by 4:00 pm in terms of EDT (eastern daylight time in the U.S.). The table below shows the corresponding start and end times in several other time zones. Please use these examples as a guide to determine the conference start and end times at your location.
|
Time Zone |
Hours |
| United States East Coast | 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-4) |
| United States West Coast | 9:00 am to 1:00 pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-7) |
| United Kingdom | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm BST (British Summer Time, UTC+1) |
| Germany | 18:00 to 22:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time, UTC+2) |
Sponsor: The Wilhelm Reich Museum, Rangeley, Maine
Conference Organizer (academic content): Håvard Friis Nilsen
Conference Coordinator and Technical Director: David Silver
Conference Committee: Renata Reich Moise, Patricia Estrada, Amy Sabsowitz, James Strick
Click here to download a PDF version of the conference program
