54: Complacency and Psychoanalysis with Julian Lousada

Julian is a British psychoanalyst who has worked in the public
health sector for many years. In this podcast, he begins by
reflecting on how complacent ways of thinking and being are
becoming more commonplace, particularly in the consulting and
psychotherapeutic world. He discusses a particular clinical case
to emphasise this. 

Julian then explores the connection between complacency and
action and discusses with Simon how dissociation can lead to
conformist ways of being. The conversation then reflects more
widely on the role of psychoanalysis in society, and in
particular the demise of psychoanalytically applied practices in
the public sector. Julian holds the view that society needs
containers for its more disturbed and long-term 'ill' citizens,
for as he says "not everybody gets well". If psychoanalysis gets
pushed wholly into the private sector Julian believes there will
be a great loss to society (and also to psychoanalysis). As the
public sector increasingly becomes a market-led sector and filled
with short-term, more market-friendly treatments and fixes (some
of which are helpful of course) the space for holding pain,
suffering and dysfunction is diminished.   

When exploring what it means to work towards a good society,
Julian shares his view that a good society needs a 'maternal'
public sector, and that the nanny state, to paraphrase Margaret
Thatcher, obliterates the mother. Julian asks then what happens
to the welfare state, to the health and education system and to
social care?
   
Enjoy this stimulating and rich discussion.  

Bio 

Julian Lousada is a psychoanalyst and former clinical director
Adult department of the Tavistock and Portman Clinic, and former
chair of the British Psychoanalytic Council and British
Psychoanalytic Federation.  He is an Organisational
Consultant in private practice.