PINE PSYCHOANALYTIC CENTER, INC. NEwSLETTER P.O. Box 920762, Needham, MA 02492 Volume 23, No. 3, Spring 2012 EdITOR’S NOTE: Us, the most transient. Everyone once, once only. Just once and no more. – Duino Elegies, Ninth Elegy, Rainer Maria Rilke How fortunate we are that Ar- thur Valenstein’s “once, and once only,” so intimately intersected with the life of our institute. In 1975, Dr. Valenstein joined his colleagues, M. Robert Gardner, Edward Daniels, Rolf Arvidson, Frances Bonner, Her- bert Goldings, Samuel Silverman, Malvina Stock, and Helen Tartakoff in founding PINE. Over subsequent years, he taught, supervised, ana- lyzed, and mentored many at PINE. In 2000, Dr. Valenstein was awarded the Sigourney Award, honoring his TABLE OF CONTENTS distinguished contributions to the field of psychoanalysis. In 2002, PINE Editor’s Note……………………………………………....………….1 celebrated this honor with a memo- My Experience with Arthur F. Valenstein, M.D., our Val rable scientific meeting. Val selected Ana-Maria Rizzuto, M.D…………………………………………...2 three outstanding speakers, Paul Schwaber, Lawrence Friedman, and Val as I Knew Him Linda Mayes; together, they reflected Sanford Gifford, M.D…………...…………………..........…...…3 on the history of psychoanalysis, and Val: A Voyage, Words at Play its future. Later, in 2006 and 2007, Steven Ablon, M.D…………………………………………...........3 Val shared reflections on his own Walking with Val personal journey in psychoanalysis Alexandra M. Harrison, M.D………………………………........…4 with our community. This Newsletter is dedicated to remembering Val’s Tribute to Arthur F. Valenstein lasting contributions to PINE, and to Maida Greenberg, Ed.D…………………………………….........…5 psychoanalysis. In these pages, you Dorothy Burlingham’s Twins will find reflections by Sanford Gif- David Greenberg and Maida Greenberg, Ed.D, Slate Magazine . 6 ford, Ana-Maria Rizzuto, Alexandra Harrison, Steven Ablon, and Maida Further Thoughts on Researching Twins Greenberg. Maida Greenberg, Ed.D……………….....……......…….........8 Announcements/News and Notes...................................15 Continued on page 2 1 The remainder of the Newsletter wife was Burlingham’s daughter. We twins, while working with children is not entirely unrelated to honoring are fortunate to be able to include a and families, is evidence of the rich Val’s memory. Last summer, Maida reprint of this article. Further, Maida soil that PINE offers us in furthering Greenberg and her son, David, wrote kindly accepted my invitation to our own intellectual ideals. Our own an article for Slate magazine on the share more about the background of “once only”s are nourished by the subject of twins. This was a topic this article, by reflecting on the nature community that Arthur Valenstein of great interest to Val. The article of her longstanding interest in twin helped to foster at PINE. emphasizes the role of Dorothy Burl- development. The course of Maida’s ingham in the research on twins; Val’s process in researching, and raising, My Experience with Arthur F. Valenstein, M.d., Our Val I was a candidate at BPSI in 1969 at her house. Our first study book, ably the first in the country. Later on, when I met Val as a member of the Life and Death in Psychoanalysis, by at the time of my applying for certi- Faculty but I had no direct contact the renowned French author, Jean fication by the American Psychoana- with him. I came to know him at Laplanche, led us to intense discus- lytic Association, I went to him for the time of the split from BPSI to sions about some of the foundational some months of supervision on one create PINE. He was then the BPSI concepts in psychoanalysis. Val did of my private cases. We had much President and had to confront the not make us feel that his considerable fun together, not only talking about increasing discomfort among several knowledge of psychoanalytic theory the dynamics of the case but also dis- senior analysts and candidates with gave him special authority over our cussing theoretical and developmen- tal issues concerning the pathology of the changes taking place in the orga- groping efforts to grasp difficult con- my patient. Val’s analytic stance was nization. He publicly and eloquently cepts. He had a way of saying things deeply marked by his relationship presented his disagreement and re- that mixed authority with a light tone with Anna Freud’s child studies, his signed as president. Together with and several graphic illustrations, own interest in development, as well several other senior and younger thus making it easier for the group to as his commitment to psychoanalytic training analysts he was instrumen- wrestle with difficult concepts. theory. We had a delightful time to- tal in the founding of PINE. He was gether during those few months. He one of our founding fathers and he From that moment on, Val partici- was extremely generous, because he brought with him great excitement pated in numerous PINE meetings in would not accept my paying for the about the new beginnings of an insti- which I was also involved. He had supervision. He modestly said that I tute truly dedicated to the practice of a way of doing things that was his could pay him by giving him a gourd psychoanalysis and to an immersion characteristic style. If he had some- used by people in Argentina to drink in the understanding of its theoretical thing important to say he would say yerba mate. I dutifully fulfilled my and clinical foundations. it clearly and, at times, forcefully modest obligation when I returned and would not mince words. If the from my trip to Argentina after the I became personally acquainted issues were difficult and confusing end of the supervision. with Val soon after I joined the PINE he would listen very attentively to Faculty, a year after my graduation everyone’s position and then, at the All of us at PINE owe Val much from BPSI in 1974. We all participated very end, he would ask to intervene, gratitude, because his actions and as an enthusiastic group, full of the and offer his own view of the problem participation were crucial for the ferment of the new leaven, brought and propose his solution. He almost creation of PINE as it is today. If we enjoy being in our PINE today, we out by the psychoanalytic ideals of always included humorous remarks must remember that, together with the founding group and the brand as his way of helping us all to take the other founders, he made the ex- new faculty. Val and Grete L. Bibring, enough distance from the issue in- istence of our Institution not only M.D. were the most senior but their volved, so that we could see his point possible, but left his imprint in its graceful welcoming of the brand- of view. Frequently, he could be very spirit of collaboration and respect- new generation of young graduates funny and we ended up laughing ful exchanges among its members. I like myself did make us feel that we with him. But he had made his point. have written this note as my modest were all together in this new and ex- contribution to thank him for all the citing adventure. He was very generous with me. years of his life and learning that he When my book, The Birth of the Liv- shared with us. I came to know Val in a more per- ing God, was published in 1979, Val sonal way when he, Grete, and oth- was instrumental in suggesting that I Ana-Maria Rizzuto, M.D. ers created a study group that met present it at a PINE conference, prob- Cambridge, April 3, 2012 2 Val As I Knew Him Recollections of Arthur F. Valenstein to find. She had learned that two Club and sharing cabs to and from at his memorial service on January 26, physicist couples were moving out of the meetings at the Waldorf. 2012, at the Friends’ Meeting House, a two-family house at the same time. Cambridge, MA. We shared two other interests that Val and Adelaide were later di- Val was passionately attached to: ice- Val was my oldest friend. We met vorced, and he married Katrina skating on outdoor ponds and all in 1946-7, when we were both vet- Burlingham, always called Tinkie, the chamber music we could find in erans, recently discharged from the the daughter of Dorothy Burlingham, Cambridge or Boston. He was a bril- Army, and we had both found jobs at Anna Freud’s lifelong companion. liant ice-skater—much better than I the Veterans’ Outpatient Clinic at 17 Tinkie had attended the school, or- was—and we explored all the local Court Street, now a shelter for home- ganized by Anna Freud for analysts’ ponds from Spy Pond and Mystic less vets. Morris Adler was the chief children in the Freuds’ apartment Lake to Walden Pond. He loved the and Val was second in command. at 19 Berggasse in Vienna. Val was same kind of chamber music that In- He also happened to be my clinical later analyzed by Anna Freud, and grid and I did: Schubert, Beethoven, supervisor, invariably kind, warm- through our continuing friendship Brahms, and an occasional Ravel. hearted, and impressively intuitive with Val and Tinkie, we heard a great Val also enjoyed the tender simplic- about our wide variety of patients. deal about Walberswick, the seaside ity of Mendelssohn’s Songs With I recall my only rebuke, in checking town in East Anglia where Anna Words, which he and I had played as my enthusiasm for visiting a patient Freud and Dorothy Burlingham children. We often attended concerts of mine who had been put in jail, as spent their summer vacations.