Sacred Psychoanalysis - etheses Repository - University of ...

him, with a warmth, a critical intellect, a curious, enquiring mind and presence. There is
something vital about AP.
As I further reflected two other thoughts came to mind. Firstly, while the
patient/interviewer sits or lies on a battered leather couch, AP himself sits on a simple
upright unpadded wooden chair, as one would find in a dining room. It created images of
discomfort in a greater cause – almost monastic or ascetic-like in its denial of comfort.
Secondly, the quality, range and number of paintings on his wall all had a personal
dimension. His life was in those images, but each one could be interpreted differently. In
the absence of dreams, the pictures provided clues, images, symbols with which one can
engage in another reality or dimension, that I would describe as both that of the soul and the
psyche.
Anonymous (AN)
AN has a background in psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis and works as a
psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. AN is a training and supervising analyst and a senior figure
in the British psychoanalytic world. He lectures and writes extensively on a variety of
subjects related to philosophy and culture. AN asked to remain anonymous as he felt being
named was rather intrusive but agreed for his contribution to be retained.
Meeting Anonymous
I previously met AN at an international conference held at the University of London in
November of the previous year. Unknown to me, AN was one of a wide range of academics
and analysts speaking at the conference, examining how Freud had been translated and how
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