Fear, uncertainty and the body: A Denial of Death. From Hysteria to Psychosomatics, Chronic Fatigue and illness

We live in a society that denies aging and mortality, fears illness and idealises health and youth. In this context power and control is not all in the mind as we are told, our body speaks feelings and meanings that we do not always understand, as we see in body symptoms that express psychological stress and trauma that we can not easily put into words. We also struggle with the fact that the body is not always working in our favour, there is uncertainty, illness and suffering. We are not always in control

This talk explores the myriad forms the body takes in emotional distress, from health anxiety, chronic fatigue, to strange physical symptoms that can be traced to emotional origins, like paralysis, body dysmorphia, pain of unknown origin, to psychosomatic illnesses and physical illness, we look at the recent trend in diagnostic labelling, for example the label, ADHD. Reference will be made to examples from life and many years of clinical work with body symptoms and difficulties

We ask and try to answer some questions about the body and mind. What is going on? What has gender got to do with it? How can we understand how emotions and meanings that we may not be fully aware of live in our body. Why do we fear our bodies? How does our modern life style and culture, affect us. Why, don’t we show more care for those that are ill and dying?

 

This talk

. Looks at body symptoms like health anxiety, environmental sensitivity, hysteria, psychosomatics, diagnostic labelling, chronic physical illness

. We ask why is it difficult living in a body?

. The denial of death? dealing with what we do not know

. How does society and culture affect how we view our bodies?

 . What is the mind, body, environment relation?

.   Freud the mysterious leap from mind to body

.  Attachment and neuroscience

. Contemporary psychoanalytic understanding of psychosomatics and body symptoms  

 .  How we treat people who are ill

. How to deal with living in a body. What is the solution?

This evening will be two hours : first a presentation and the second hr for questions and further exploration, also for experiential sharing, In the latter case do bring up issues that you feel comfortable enough to share in this more public context. Participation is completely optional. The second hr is not recorded

 

About the speaker

Dr Nicola Diamond former Senior Lecturer in Psychosocial Studies, University of East London, and visiting lecturer at the Tavistock Clinic (ongoing affiliation with the Tavistock) She is a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with over thirty years’ experience (BPC reg) and has an ongoing private practice with patients and provides supervision for therapists. Previously she worked as a psychotherapist for The Helen Bamber Foundation (for survivors of torture and trauma) and at the Women’s Therapy Centre in London. Her specialisation is in attachment, psychoanalysis, and the body and has published numerous chapters and articles in the field. She has a broader background in contemporary philosophy, neuroscience, visual forms of representation and cultural, psychosocial studies. She public lectures in the area and does podcasts and doctorate, post doctorate supervision. She is the author of Between Skins: The Body in Psychoanalysis -Contemporary Developments Wiley & Sons (2013) and co-author of Attachment and Intersubjectivity Whurrs (2003). Forthcoming book publications co-authored with Dr Mario Marrone: Creating values in a fragmented world and Attachment informed Psychoanalytic practice: core principles.   

https://www.drnicoladiamond.com/

 

*If you are a psychotherapist or counsellor residing in an active conflict zone, you are eligible to attend this event free of charge (regardless of whether you are a bpf member or not). Please email events@bpf-psychotherapy to enquire about a ticket.