Confronting Mortal Threat

Confronting Mortal Threat

Unconscious Processes in the Face of Death

Recorded Saturday 5 September 2020

Dr Richard Gipps, Professor Paul Hoggett, Dr Merav Roth and Dr Estela Welldon – chaired by Anouchka Grose

CPD Credits: 5 hours

As the pandemic has brought us all face to face with death, either in reality or in the imagination, we will be talking about how the mind negotiates this gross affront to our sense of survival. The sudden risk of catching a fatal illness brings out some extraordinary capacities, such as adaptation, connection, altruism, but it also amplifies the deepest fear we may have of ceasing to exist.

This conversation is about what we notice about the human responses to mortal threat, what these tell us about unconscious processes, defense mechanisms and the internal scenarios that we create in order to live with that fate.

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FULL PROGRAMME

Dr Richard Gipps
Being Philosophical About It
To be “philosophical” or “stoical” is to remain calm and able to think in the face of adversity. But how have the philosophers suggested we achieve this? And how can their deliberations be drawn on in the consulting room without therapy degrading into intellectual discussion? In this talk Richard will discuss the relation of six virtues – the cultivation of healthy pride (dignity), the development of ego strength (inner courage), amor fati (acquiescence to fate), the will to power (determination), receptivity to grace (the cultivation of gratitude), and seeing life sub specie aeternitatis (the bigger picture) – to the “philosophical” life. Of particular importance for therapeutic practice is the distinction between i) embodying and modelling and ii) merely talking about such virtues.

Professor Paul Hoggett questions Dr Richard Gipps

Audience Q&A

Dr Merav Roth
The Opportunity of the Uncanny – In Times of Corona and Online Treatment
The coronavirus crisis is experienced as a radical state of danger, not just because it poses a mortal threat, but to a large extent also because the threat is undefined in terms of its scope, duration, methods of attack and means of defense against it. This is the most menacing combination for us – an external danger whose shape is not clearly delineated, which gives way to internal scenarios. Our inner demons will always be bigger and scarier than the external reality. Within us, they have no solid boundaries, and no meaningful logic or language that we can hold on to. Two types of reactions are liable to arise in the face of this threat. One rejects the reality and the second accepts it and “works with it”. We all fluctuate between the two throughout our lives. In the more primitive position, the mind reacts with denial and a sense of omnipotence on the one hand and panic, exaggeration and helplessness on the other. How we work with these with our patients will be explored.

Dr Richard Gipps questions Dr Merav Roth

Audience Q&A

Dr Estela Welldon
Facing Death
Sex has been comprehensively “exposed” in our culture, including the ubiquitous introduction of sex education, in its many manifest forms, in schools. Death, however, continues to struggle to get a thoughtful audience and risks being ignored, denied or experienced as an alien fate that punishes us from above for whatever we did right or wrong in life. It is as if we have learned that death is always an unjust happening, closing, if not damning forever, our lives and those whom we love – or hate. When faced with sudden unexpected deaths you become aware of the value of a true life one without deceits and falsities.

Dr Merav Roth questions Dr Estela Welldon

Audience Q&A

Professor Paul Hoggett
Staying with the Trouble
There is now considerable evidence that when facing the mortal threat of ecological and climatic destruction our responses go through a number of stages. The primary initial response is disavowal where the threat is acknowledged but in a way that leaves the self undisturbed. A critical moment is reached when this defence breaks down for it is easy to flip from denial straight into despair as all the feelings that have been split off flood in and overwhelm the self. The challenge is to find containment for the anger, hopelessness, grief and guilt so that we can face up to the threat using both reason and passion. In climate psychology we call this “staying with the trouble” – how to sustain our love for the world whilst facing the worst.

Anouchka Grose questions Professor Paul Hoggett

Audience Q&A

All speakers Q&A

End

FEES

Includes: 1 year’s access, test and CPD Certificate of Attendance, subtitles and transcript

INDIVIDUAL

£60 (or £48 Confer member)

GROUP RATE

£50pp in groups of over 10 (please apply to accounts@confer.uk.com)

CPD

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits for 5 hours are available as part of the course fee. You will need to fill out an evaluation form and pass a multiple choice questionnaire related to the content in order to receive your certificate. You can submit this test up to a maximum of 5 times.

SCHEDULE

00:01:46
Dr Richard Gipps
Being Philosophical About It

00:41:28
Professor Paul Hoggett questions Dr Richard Gipps

00:50:28
Audience Q&A

00:58:44
Dr Merav Roth
The Opportunity of the Uncanny – In Times of Corona and Online Treatment

01:37:00
Dr Richard Gipps questions Dr Merav Roth

01:49:59
Audience Q&A

01:59:48
Dr Estela Welldon
Facing Death

02:34:57
Dr Merav Roth questions Dr Estela Welldon

02:49:12
Audience Q&A

02:59:03
Professor Paul Hoggett
Staying with the Trouble

03:33:05
Anouchka Grose questions Professor Paul Hoggett

03:48:58
Audience Q&A

03:57:04
All speakers Q&A

04:39:56
End

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By attending this workshop virtually, participants will be able to:
  • Utilise philosophical ideas in their clinical work
  • Identify unconscious processes related to mortal threat and online treatment
  • Discuss the importance of awareness of mortality
  • Think on a psychosocial level and describe practices of cultural containment