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Director's Column

Meryl Dorf, PhD

Throughout this year, we have engaged in several enriching events at CPPNJ that have sparked meaningful discussions. Dr. Susan Kolod led an insightful dialogue on polarization, exploring psychoanalytic themes and their relevance to training institutes like ours, and to the world around us. Additionally, our very own Dr. Ruth Lijtmaer facilitated a powerful panel discussion featuring three Latina psychoanalysts who addressed the pressing issues of immigration, dehumanization, and gender dynamics in today’s political climate. These conversations are crucial as we navigate these challenging times.

We are also grateful for Ellie Muska’s engaging conversation focused on working with patients suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, which garnered positive feedback and highlighted the importance of this challenging, yet often-overlooked area of our practice.

As we look ahead, it’s time for the election of our leadership positions, including the Director, Dean of Students, and Dean of Faculty, which will take place this spring. I encourage all members of our community to participate in this important process, as your voices and votes are vital in shaping our future.

Furthermore, our Social Justice meetings and discussion forums continue to provide ongoing learning opportunities that enrich our understanding and practice. A new committee has emerged from our recent Town Hall meeting, dedicated to closely examining our training programs to ensure they remain culturally relevant and academically rigorous in our rapidly changing world. We are excited to host our next Town Hall on April 6, and we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us. We are excited to be meeting IN-PERSON at FDU.

Thank you for your commitment to our community and for your contributions to these vital discussions. Together, we are fostering an environment of learning, support, and advocacy that reflects the core values of our institute.

Warm regards,

Meryl Dorf, PhD

Director, CPPNJ

A Look Back at Our Winter 2025 Events

“Let’s Have a Conversation about Dissociative Identity Disorder”

Presented by Ellie Muska, LCSW

January 10, 2025



Our presenter, Ellie Muska, described her discussion topic for today as a “de-anxietizing approach to Dissociative Identity Disorder, with a focus on clinical experiences.” Her audience enthusiastically took up the challenge and ran with it.

Ellie discussed the necessity of recognizing transferences with various ‘parts’ of a patient in doing the work of therapy with DID patients. She singled out both older and younger parts as needing the therapist’s help.

Participants talked about “tossing the ball” in order to focus on different parts-- also asking the question: “is everyone listening?” as a way of calling attention to multiple parts who may all be listening.

It was found to be helpful to think of a patient in terms of being personality disordered, and viewing their parts as a system designed to protect the core self. This brought up the issue of “What to say and what not to say?” The therapist needs to be careful, remembering that the purpose of the DID system is no less than “to regulate terror”. We must take “baby steps” to avoid upsetting the system’s balance.

It is easy for the therapist to become overwhelmed. Ellie advised us to be clear with ourselves re: how much time we are devoting to the treatment. Our basic attribute needs to be “calm consistency”. 

One technique is to work toward how parts may join with the therapist’s adult part. We all have parts. DID patients are a testament to the creativity of the brain in how it survives severe trauma. Therapists can make a point of helping parts to participate in sharing a safe space that they can go to when needed.

“Co-consciousness” refers to parts becoming capable of knowing each other. Before this is achieved in the therapy, flashbacks may occur. It is in this event that the therapist is actively present, functioning as a witness… an agent of validation. It requires “trusting one’s gut” and the use of imagination on the way to getting well.

The focus of the day’s discussion was one of hope. However, it is important to recognize that the desired results do not always occur and parts do not necessarily cooperate and lead to an outcome of healing.

Thank you for conducting this discussion, Ellie. And thank you to all who so generously participated.

Submitted by,

Marion Houghton, EdS, LMFT

CPPNJ Open House Event

Presented by Michael Lepak, LCSW

Continuing Education Director Michael Lepak facilitated a presentation to RWJ Barnabas Health employees and interns at Jersey City Medical Center on Thursday January 17^th. The presentation consisted of an overview of CPPNJ training offerings, the benefits of Analytic and Psychodynamic training and a brief overview of some psychoanalytic concepts. The presentation was given to approximately 20 employees and interns in the Outpatient Behavioral Health Department. Many participants asked questions about training and brought their clinical experiences and challenges to the discussion making for an engaging and interactive experience. 

Ruth Lijtmaer, CPPNJ analyst, introduced by Tom Johnson, her CPPNJ colleague and co-chair of the Social Justice Committee, was described as a “lone voice” for many years speaking out on behalf of immigrants and their suffering.

Ruth moderated today’s panel of presenters whom she enlisted this day to join her: Adriana Cuenca Carrara from San Diego/ Tijuana, Mexico and Anne Marie Maxwell Martinez from Mexico City, Mexico. Ruth, Adriana and Anne Marie each spoke from their own geographical spaces with a sense of solidarity in their own commitment to vulnerable groups. Ruth gave historical background by recalling the Holocaust, when Jews were seen as a “source of evil” and “subhuman”, and therefore justifiably “targets of violence”.

Adriana advocated for “making space for their (immigrant) stories” in her 35 years of work as a therapist at the US/Mexico border in San Diego/Tijuana. She spoke of the concepts of “intersectionality and systemic discrimination” that have shed light on the misunderstanding of immigrants over the years. Adriana shared her work with “Emma” in therapy, describing her as “apathetic and hopeless” as well as living in constant dread of deportation. She was dissociated in therapy, and Adriana offered Emma a “place to be seen, heard and validated”. She witnessed Emma’s suffering with radical openness, understanding her experience relative to her gender, racial identity, cultural differences and immigration status.

Anne Marie, Mexican psychoanalyst and member of IARPP, described the social violence in her country as the “silent war” with drugs. She spoke of “70 murders per day”, with some states being very unsafe.  The indifference to crime by authorities results in a “dead third” in the consulting room created by the absence of an acknowledgement of trauma. People have to “dissociate parts of the self” due to the pervasive nonrecognition of cumulative trauma. Anne Marie asked if “we can repair” the blindness to what is happening in her country by creating a “new third”…by listening…seeking mutual recognition and by being an “eyewitness” for another in therapy.

Discussion with Audience and Panel

The “courage of presenters “was apparent from their sharing of experiences of danger along with their clients. Participants referred to the “dead third” identified by Sam Gerson (2006) wherein no one is present to, and verbalizing awareness of, trauma, e.g., the government-- Someone to protect, is absent, unable to recognize and provide a contextual background by speaking about the injustice. Adriana stated that therapists “need to be pierced” by what they are hearing and grateful to be listening—which recreates “a live third” and protects the therapeutic dyad.

The CPPNJ Social Justice Committee was seen by some of those present as a “live third”. The efforts of this committee can be viewed as an attempt to “enlighten another third” --which is the community of CPPNJ as a whole.

Another psychoanalytic concept introduced by participants in this program and referred to as the “normative unconscious” (introduced by Lynne Layton) can be understood as a kind of “cluelessness” in response to traumatic events in society such as we see in Mexico. Trauma causes dissociation which unlinks an individual psyche from society as a whole. Psychoanalysts need to speak out about trauma so that society can be enabled to see.

My experience of this day’s program was to be given hope by the testimony of these three psychoanalytic witnesses and to be re-invigorated in my own commitment to the mission of our Institute.

Submitted by,

Marion Houghton, EdS, LMFT

Upcoming Programs

Dorothy Evans Holmes, PhD, ABPP, FABP

Staying in the Struggle for Racial Equality in Psychoanalysis: What Can I Say to You, What Can We Say to One Another, and Together, Forging a Path Forward

Saturday, March 29, 2025

9:30am-12:30pm EST

Live Interactive via Zoom

Click Here for Details and Registration

Donnel B. Stern, PhD

"Beginning the Treatment on a Personal Note: Creating Emotional Connection"; and "How I Work with Unconscious Process"

Sunday, May 18, 2025

9:00am-12:00pm EST

Live Interactive via Zoom

Click Here for Details and Registration

Upcoming Member Events

March 2, 2025 – Faculty Enhancement Program – Deborah Liner, PhD presents Introduction to Laplanche: Theory and Application – Live Interactive via Zoom – 10:00am-11:30am

April 6, 2025 - In-Person Town Hall - Orangerie (FDU Florham Park Campus) - 10:00am-11:30am

June 8, 2025 - Graduation and End of Year Celebration - Lenfell Hall (FDU Florham Park Campus) - 12:00pm-4:00pm

September 7, 2025 - Welcome Back Brunch - Orangerie (FDU Florham Park Campus) - 9:00am-1:00pm

Member Awards, Presentations and Publications

Monica Carsky, PhD

Dec 18, 2024: Presentation at NEFESH, The International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals on Treatment Contracting and Countertransference Utilization in TFP.

Daniel Goldberg, PhD

Presentation at the New Jersey Psychological Association Fall Conference 2024, "The Case Against Extending Prescription Privileges to Psychologists".

Ruth Lijtmaer, PhD

Paper: The trauma of war: Homage to Ukraine portrayed through classical ballet.IFPE Conference Theme: Friends, enemies and allies. 10-17-24 to 10-19-24, Seattle, US. IN PERSON.

Linda Meyers, PsyD

THE TELL: A MEMOIR published by She Writes Press has won the $10,000 North Street Book Grand Prize. The prize is sponsored by Winning Writers. It will be announced on 2/15. 

Contributions to Our Newsletter

To our CPPNJ Newsletter readers: Marion and Mirel invite you to share your current interests and recommendations for worthwhile topics in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and related subject areas by submitting book reviews to be published in future newsletters. To participate, send your recommendation to Mirel Goldstein mirelgoldstein@gmail.com or Marion Houghton marion427@verizon.net. Thank you.

Newsletter Editorial Staff

Co-Editor Marion Houghton, EdS, LMFT

Co-Editor Mirel Goldstein, MS, MA, LPC

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