Resistance in psychotherapy - 3. Silence - Dr Aleksandar Dimitrijevic

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We continue the series on resistance with what Freud considered the most important manifestation of resistance - silence.
Psychoanalysis should be free! From this motto, we're looking at making the insights of more than a century of psychoanalytic understanding available to everyone and everywhere.

[@alizaofbrooklyn]

This is beautiful. “Different types of silence.”

[@fredwelf8650]

Alexsander, You mentioned in another video that Reich's 1933 "Character Analysis" was good. So, I read it. In the 4th chapter on Technique he addresses the question of silence and admonishes his colleague for not describing it as resistance and for not interpreting the behavior of the client. It was around p77-80.

[@KilMichael]

Great stuff even better Jumper Alek thanks very much

[@havadatequila]

Psychoanalysis is not well known in the lay US population, but considering that I know not one person with any self-reflective curiosity, the lack of popular may not be the fault of psychoanalysis.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

Not only are people not curious, most are oblivious to the purpose of Therapy. Untrained Coaches are less threatening to most people whose lives are a mess. Of course finances are slim for many typical citizens. The US School Systems do nothing to educate students about Mental Health, or the benefits of having curiosity. It's all quite pathetic, if not tragic that the US Government seems to prefer the status quo. "Change Nothing, All is Good" is their M.O.

[@frlipa]

It's not just the US population. It's everyone. It's the very structure of the human mind that generates intense negative feelings such as shame and anxiety when it tries to deeply introspect with honest curiosity. It's difficult, takes a long time and neccesitates a certain level of intellectual ability as well as a huge amount of motivation

[@cadmantheaviator]

I watched a few of your videos. But based on my own experience and a lot of research I’m still confused why analysts wouldn’t interpret resistance as - there is no consent and their is no alliance? The therapist is modelling withholding and evasion. The preparation might have been very poor and have sown a deep divergence of understanding. So it’s can become pseudo resistance because the client just doesn’t understand. I’d say a pseudo therapy can unfold. Probably frustrating to the rigid therapist and damaging to the client. Attempts to interpret this as transference or resistance reflect more on dogmatic therapist thinking than reality. I found my own ways to learn about the human experience and a mute therapist only made me doubt my own inner world.

[@MSS-bf1ci]

I have a question. Do you have resistances?

[@frlipa]

Obviously yes. Everyone has them.

[@saksma22]

Winnicott gives a remarkable report of a patient who was silent, if I remember correctly, for 6 sessions Winnicott remained intensly present and attentive to what was happrning

[@saksma22]

In his own gleichschwebende Aufmerksamkeit. Finally he was able to speak, saying to the young man "You are not crazy...I am. He was in the position of the patient's mother when he was just born. The mother had been expecting a girl and found herself with a baby boy. It took a bit of time to fully realize this. Winnicott said that the baby girl still existed, unable to speak. Yet she felt neglected, indeed not even noticed. These remarks constituted a breakthrough in the treatment.

[@sety4252]

@@saksma22 I’m really interested in reading about this case. Can you please tell me in which book or article i can find it?