Sacred Psychoanalysis - etheses Repository - University of ...

God does inhabit the mind, the unconscious and that he … is the unconscious, ‘he’ I
hate to call God ‘he’ that is already objectifying him, personifying him but there is a
godliness about us that we have been very shy about accepting … and worshipping
him is a defence against it, experiencing is far deeper (JG 1602-1606).
Bobrow concludes ‘Within psychoanalysis the dialogue of spirituality, religion … has been
… more marginalized … than in psychotherapy as a whole’ (JBR 196-200) 458 however:
‘there still are some serious resistances within psychoanalysis to letting in spirituality,
meditation and religion’ (JBR 234-235). Referring to Eigen, ‘he probably will always be a
prophetic, marginalized voice in any field because of the creativity and dynamism and
challenge of his writing and teaching’ (JBR 241-243) but Bobrow identified himself, Safran,
Rubin and others as voices that are, at times, ignored.
I think the meeting of spirituality and religion and more so spiritual practice … with
psychoanalysis has potential … it’s just a more powerful approach if the two are in
touch with one another. Their mission is overlapping, it’s the liberation of human
potential, wisdom, compassion, and the relief of suffering, basically they have a
common purpose, coming at it from different points of view, different perspectives
(JBR 491-498). 459
Spiritual practices brought by patients are an opportunity to discover something unique
within this person allied to an engagement with the unconscious. 460 ‘I think together they
are partners in liberation and they should make common cause’ (JBR 518-519).
458 ‘So … in San Francisco there’s not a whole lot of interest. In Los Angeles, there’s a whole lot of interest
Buddhist, or otherwise … in London, there’s some interest with Neville Symington … In New York, there’s
quite a lot of interest’ (JBR 204-209).
459 The ‘transformational experiences that they offer and prefer are similar but quite different, but I do believe
that they have a tremendous amount to bring to one another, both in terms of the practice and in theory and the
principles, and I actually think they are the new wave, I mean we’re seeing it within non-psychoanalytic
psychology, it’s happening’ (JBR 498-502).
460 Bobrow adds ‘now that we have more spiritual practitioners doing psychoanalysis, it’s going to change
psychoanalysis from the inside out’ (JBR 509-510) and ‘likewise we have more spiritual teachers who have
had good therapy, and some have had a psychoanalysis, and they understand … unconscious motivation and
communication and the healing potential of two people over time. So … let’s see what happens in fifty years,
without trying to make an amalgam. But I just know that this is a marriage that’s a good marriage. I don’t
know how it’s going to turn out, and I don’t want to create some hybrid prematurely, but I’m very committed’
(JBR 512-518).
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