In thinking about our new logo for our training brochure -
Come Discover
Yourself, it seems natural to present this invitation during our
40th anniversary.
All anniversaries bring a pause for consideration of where we've been, where we are and where we might venture.
Anniversaries themselves are about the "we" that is created between two people or an organization. The Westchester
Institute came together 40 years ago to provide a place for ministers, rabbis, and others interested in the spiritual as well
as the mental struggles they encountered in themselves as well as in those who came to them to be listened to and guided through
the obstacles in their lives.
Psychoanalysis provides a time and place to reflect,
to think about and to consider the meaning of our lives. Life may never have been so chaotic and quick paced as it is today
and we may be facing some of the most frightening upheavals in our history. As a result, we have seen an increase in alcohol
consumption, overeating and smoking - all oral fixations since the recession hit last year. Maybe that's connected to
one projection that the
mental health professions are expected to see a 16% growth through
2013. Maybe those who talk out their anxieties more will drink less, eat less, and smoke less. Instead of stuffing
ourselves, we may be better off expressing what we usually repress in the quiet care of an analyst.
Psychoanalysis
provides an opportunity to discover ourselves and the forces at work in our lives within the exploration of the unconscious
dynamics at work between us.
With 40 years of training generations of analysts, there is always more to learn,
more to develop, more to give by way of our understanding of the troubles that beset our world and our lives in these times.
Our own faculty member Dr. Jeffrey Rubin spoke at the Institute's graduation in May about why psychoanalysis is more important
now than ever! And it is. With 40 years behind us, there is more to come, more to explore, and more to discover....
Rob
Marchesani, MSSc, LP
Dean and Executive Director