NEWS , ANALYSIS , OPINION FOR THE PSYCHOANALYTIC COMMUNITY ISSUE 17 SPRING 2015 Queering Experience of Talking Training in analysis a gay trainee about couple 4 9 12 culture 14 therapy heterosexual functioning.3 This document Finally, in 1991, in response to a lawsuit, points out that there is no evidence the American Psychoanalytic Association that such therapy works, but plenty of adopted an Equal Opportunities policy Rethinking evidence that it increases the patient’s on admissions to training and issued its unhappiness. For all these reasons the historic Position Statement, updating it BPC Executive felt that something further the following year to cover recruitment needed to be done to create a greater sense of teaching staff and training analysts. our approach of openness and awareness of the issues APsaA also set up a system of committees involved in dealing with sexual diversity to identify and address bias affecting including, perhaps, explicit recognition gay and lesbian issues in their member to sexualities of the suffering that the psychoanalytic institutions.5 stance has caused in the past. Although this was a painful process, By Juliet Newbigin it forced a wide discussion of a kind ‘Heterosexuality that has never occurred in the UK, was seen as an except, perhaps, for a brief moment when Charles Socarides, the American N THIS ISSUE of New taken on sexual diversity until relatively expression of psychoanalyst who never abandoned his Associations we hope to introduce recently. Since psychoanalysis became psychological view that homosexuality was a borderline you to some of the work of the established in Britain, gay men and condition, was invited by the Association BPC’s task group which was set lesbians who applied to train were health.’ for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the upI to consider ways of making the refused entry, except in a very few NHS to give the annual lecture in 1995. profession more open and welcoming to instances where individuals were ‘very The psychoanalytic community in the This provoked an effective protest and a 1 gay, lesbian and bisexual people. I discreet’. This bar to training was not an USA went through a bitter struggle in Letter of Concern, signed by a substantial imagine that some readers will wonder expression of an interviewer’s personal the 1970s about the way psychoanalysis number of clinicians seeking to engage why this was necessary. The ban on bias, but arose from the theoretical theorised sexual orientation, far beyond a debate of the kind that had happened acceptance of gay and lesbian candidates understanding that a homosexual anything that we have experienced in the in the US. But until recently British for psychoanalytic training on the grounds orientation was evidence of pathology or UK. Not only were their psychoanalytic psychoanalysis and psychotherapy have of their sexual orientation is surely a arrested development. Heterosexuality theorists among the most conservative made no collective statement of a change thing of the past? All member was not simply seen as the norm, but as on the subject – Bergler, Rado, Ovesey, in policy like APsaA’s Position Statement. organisations are now bound by the an expression of psychological health. Socarides for example – but the gay and Equality Act, and have signed up to the Homosexual acts were considered, after lesbian community in the US, which One of the reasons for this silence Position Statement that the BPC adopted all, criminal until 1967. had become a highly effective organised has been a reluctance to subject in 2012, which stated that: political force after the Stonewall Riots psychoanalytic ideas about sexual Nowadays, society has come a long way in 1969, mounted a strenuous opposition development and sexual health to close 4 The British Psychoanalytic Council towards an acceptance of sexual diversity, to their views. But when the American questioning. In the UK, having survived opposes discrimination on the basis of but although attitudes of most members Psychiatric Association voted in December the intense conflict over theoretical sexual orientation. It does not accept of the BPC have moved on, training 1973 to remove homosexuality from differences that led to the Controversial that a homosexual orientation is programmes in psychoanalytic theory the psychiatric disorders listed in the Discussions,6 the British Psychoanalytical evidence of disturbance of the mind or tend to be conservative. It is still not clear DSMIII, some psychoanalytic members Society and those psychotherapy institutes in development. how much serious questioning of these fought against this change, and forced a earlier attitudes has taken place, and what referendum of the entire membership Continues over the page Might this be another symptom of the views are being reflected in the teaching. of the APA. Although the decision was unstoppable march of political correctness, And, because of the years of exclusion, upheld by a majority of 58%, the rebels which will lead to an intrusive policing of recent gay and lesbian recruits are not continued to argue against it, and gay and psychoanalytic training organisations? yet making an impact at senior levels. lesbian candidates were still being refused Members of the task group suspect that admission to train in most psychoanalytic So why do we need for a task group for few clinicians engaged in interviewing institutes throughout the 1980s. this purpose? It has frequently been candidates or supervising and analysing pointed out that the members of the trainees have any idea how deep the psychoanalytic community in the UK lingering suspicion about psychoanalysis are an exclusive group – white, middle- runs in the LGBT community. class and often financially secure – and that this is reflected in the profession’s Research into the attitudes of dominant values and assumptions. One psychotherapists – members of the BPC of the consequences of this exclusivity in 2001 and a wider cohort in 20092 – has been a lack of curiosity about the indicated that a substantial percentage impact of social differences in the of respondents believed that a patient’s therapeutic setting. A previous issue of sexual orientation could usefully be New Associations (Issue 12, 2013) that changed to heterosexuality if he or dealt with issues of culture and ethnicity she reported unhappiness at finding argued that the psychological impact themselves gay, lesbian or bisexual. of cultural difference has always been Only this year, after discussion with all conspicuously overlooked as a serious the main bodies involved in providing subject of study in psychoanalytic and counselling and psychotherapy to the psychotherapy training, and resistance public, the Department of Health to changing this continues. However, the has found it necessary to launch a absence of familiarity with the LGBT Memorandum of Understanding, (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) signed by all providers, warning the community is of a different order, because public about the dangers of ‘Conversion of the position that psychoanalysis has Therapy’ – offering to ‘restore’ a patient to 2 NEW ASSOCIATIONS ISSUE 17 SPRING 2 0 1 5 Rethinking our approach continued from previous page whose training was closely connected with clinician inevitably constructs a view of We also recommended the appointment The members of the task group were: it have concentrated on preserving the the patient’s internal world through the of a training ‘ombudsman’, drawn from Daniel Anderson, Karen Ciclitira, Wayne connections within the analytic ‘family’, prism of his or her own biases has given outside the membership of MIs, as an Full, Giorgio Giaccardi, William Halton, rather than open up divisive arguments impetus to thinkers such as Stephen initial point of contact for trainees who Leezah Hertzmann, Simon Imrie, Maggie again. In addition, psychoanalysis in Mitchell, Robert Stolorow and Jessica were experiencing difficulties in their Murray, Juliet Newbigin (Chair), David the UK, while it developed alongside Benjamin, who have been influential training. Richards and Marion Schoenfeld. This psychiatry and social care, was not in the development of relational and group is laying the foundations of the initially accepted as a subject of study in intersubjective theories of psychoanalytic And lastly, we proposed that the BPC standing Advisory Group, which can universities. practice. This insight has illuminated initiate contact between senior members be consulted by the BPC on matters the socio-cultural assumptions that are of MIs and organisations that advocate concerning the LGBT community ‘There has been embedded in traditional psychoanalytic on behalf of the LGBT community, theories, as feminists have argued for such as Stonewall, PACE and Pink References a reluctance many years, in response to Freud’s view of Therapy. We felt that the psychoanalytic 1. The words of a member of the Institute of female sexuality and the concept of penis- community should explore the possibility Psychoanalysis, quoted by M.L. Ellis (1993) in to subject envy, and this inevitably leads towards a of making links with these bodies, in ‘Lesbians, Gay Men and Psychoanalytic Training’, critique of psychoanalytic thinking about order to lay to rest, finally, the history Free Associations, Vol 4, Part 4, No. 32 psychoanalytic 2. Bartlett, A., King, M., Phillips, P. (2001): Straight sexual and gender identity, and theories of misrepresentation of gay men Talking: an investigation of the attitudes and ideas about of child development. and lesbians that psychoanalysis has practice of psychoanalysts and psychotherapists in relation to gays and lesbians. British Journal of sexual promoted in the past. We were troubled Psychiatry, 179, 545-549, and Bartlett, A., Smith, Our task group would like to contribute by the fact that our remit did not include G., King, M., (2009): The Response of Mental Health development to Professionals to Clients Seeking Help to Change to a reappraisal of theory, both the ‘T’ – the transgender/transsexual or Redirect Same-Sex Sexual Orientation. BMC close questioning.’ psychoanalytic and post-Jungian, in population – and feels strongly that this Psychiatry, Vol.