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In this presentation, Joseph Aguayo explores the transition from the conceptual frameworks established by Freud and Klein, particularly their differing views on the sexual and pathological body, to more contemporary perspectives. He focuses on the contributions of Thomas Ogden and Giuseppe Civitarese, specifically Ogden’s concept of the “autistic-contiguous position” and Civitarese’s notion of “somatic reverie.” These contemporary approaches emphasize the role of normal or ordinary sensory experiences, offering a more comprehensive understanding of how somatic experiences shape the analyst's bodily-centered listening when engaging with patients. A case example from Aguayo's work illustrating somatic reverie is included in this presentation.
Learning Objectives: Upon completing this scientific meeting, participants will be able to:
- Distinguish between Freud's and Klein's conceptualizations of the sexual and pathological body, highlighting their unique theoretical perspectives.
- Understand Ogden’s conception of the “autistic-contiguous position” and describe how it signifies a shift from understanding the pathological body to emphasizing normal sensory experiences.
- Apply Civitarese’s concept of “somatic reverie” to enhance the analytic relationship and deepen bodily-centered listening in clinical practice.
About the Presenter
Joseph Aguayo, PhD, FIPA is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California and a Guest Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. He is also the founder and Director of the Regional Bion Symposium. Most recently, he was invited to give two lectures on Bion’s work, one for the Roman Society for Psychoanalysis and the second in Chieti, where he dialogued and debated with noted Bion scholar, Giuseppe Civitarese, in September 2024. His most recent book, Bion in the Consulting Room: An Implicit Method of Clinical Inquiry, (co-authored with R.D. Hinshelwood, S. Dermen and N. Abel-Hirsch) was published in August 2024 (London: Routledge Bion Series, Howard Levine: Series Editor).
About the Moderator
Caron Harrang, LICSW, FIPA, BCPsa is board certified psychoanalyst with a full-time private practice in Seattle, Washington. She is an IPA training and supervising psychoanalyst on the faculty of Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and teaches throughout North America. Publications include “River to rapids: Speaking to the body in terms the body can understand” C. Harrang, D. Tillotson, & N.C. Winters (Eds.), Body as Psychoanalytic Object: Clinical Applications from Winnicott to Bion and Beyond (Routledge, 2021), winner of the 2022 Gradiva Award for best edited book; “Possibility Clouds Arising from a Close Reading of Civitarese and Berrini's ‘On Using Bion's Concepts of Point, Line, and Linking in the Analysis of a 6-Year-Old Child’” (Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 2022); “Introduction. Truth and Lies: Psychoanalytic Perspectives” (American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 2023a); “On Grotstein’s ‘truth’ in Bion's theory of ‘O’” (American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 2023b); and Nancy C. Winters, Caron Harrang & Stefanie Sedlacek “Transformations in O Online: Group Process in the Virtual Realm” (The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 2024).
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