Ground Zero, New York City, Sept. 16, 2001 (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Eric J. Tilford via Flickr)

Upcoming Presentation: Dissociation in a Post 9/11 World
Ira Brenner, MD, presenter
Friday, Sept. 23, 2011
8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

New York Freudian Society
NYFS-NY Scientific Program
Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Hatch Auditorium
Madison Ave & 100th Street
New York, NY

It was predicted that things would never be the same in the US after the attacks on September 11, 2001. A new era was to have begun in which our illusion of safety on American soil was irreparably shattered. Destruction of the World Trade Center, substantial damage to the Pentagon and a significant loss of life triggered our “war on terror” which continues ten years later. Homeland security and other measures to “protect us” have gradually eroded several of our freedoms. The growing awareness of the limits of US supremacy in a rapidly changing technological and geopolitical world has left many with a vague sense of uneasiness about the future. In the aftermath of this national trauma, it is curious, therefore, how little has been published in the psychoanalytic literature about this topic. After review of this literature, the author will offer some speculations about why this might be the case and consider the importance of dissociation in contemporary mental processes. Dissociation will be compared and contrasted with related phenomena such as denial, disavowal, repression and splitting.

Objectives:
At the end of this program, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the process of a dissociative response to trauma, distinguishing it from
denial and other more familiar defensive processes.
2. Analyze the concept of dissociation in relation to the psychosocial reactions of some
survivors of the attack on 9/11/01.
3. Apply the model of the dissociative mind to a traumatized society.

Who Should Attend:
Mental Health Professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, licensed
professional counselors, eg, LP’s, LCAT’s, pastoral counselors), and people with an
interest in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic thinking and clinical applications

Admission is free and no reservations are required.
Certification of Attendance forms will be provided.

More information is available at the official site of the New York Freudian Society.