Mind Control: Part 1

In this episode, Deb and Maury reprise their presentation called Mind Control from the IEDTA conference, and not for nothing— the concepts and critical thinking tools they emphasized in that presentation will serve as tools through which they analyze clinical material throughout this season. In this first part of the mind control presentation, they cover the issues of suggestion, meta communication, and influence in psychotherapy. Parts 2 and 3 of the mind control presentation coming soon.

In this first episode of season 2, Maury and Deb reflect on their experiences at the recent International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association (IEDTA) conference in Dubrovnik, especially as they relate to topics covered on the podcast. They talk about what they observed and learned, and express hopes for future IEDTA meetings. Then, they lay out their plan for the coming season.

In this episode Deb and Maury start reading the 2nd case in Davanloo's Unlocking the Unconscious (1990) - the case of the machine gun woman. They read the opening paragraphs and wax philosophical about what Davanloo meant by a "direct view" of the "core neurotic structure," and what these terms suggest about how we conceptualize the psyche in ISTDP. They also consider the function of time pressure, and Deb brings in some historical information about the practice of psychotherapy by American shrinks on the front lines of WWII.ReferencesDavanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley.Moskowitz, E. S. (2001). In therapy we trust: America's obsession with self-fulfillment. JHU Press.

Note: We accidentally skipped a number when numbering the eps, so ep 22 was published before ep 21.In this episode we welcome clinician, teacher, and researcher Peter Lilliengren to share his perspective on our reading of Davanloo. Peter shares some thoughtful critiques, and our dialogue extends to group dynamics of the ISTDP community— can we bear conflict and strain? Can we disagree and still remain cohesive? We are grateful for his participation and his modeling of collegial dialogue.References:Johansson, R., & Lilliengren, P. (2026). Effectiveness and mechanisms of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression: a reanalysis of a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 17, 1815946.Join us all at the ⁠⁠IEDTA conference⁠⁠ in Dubrovnik in October, 2026!

In this episode, Deb and Maury welcome special guest, Jon Frederickson, MSW, of the New Washington School of Psychiatry. A beloved teacher of ISTDP, Jon shares his insights about training with Davanloo, and subsequent impacts on training culture.

The end of the German architect case stirs a number of important questions and mixed emotions. What are the goals of istdp at this stage in Davanloo’s development? What exactly is istdp? And how do we, as modern readers cope with Davanloo’s grand claims about it? How do we square this with our personal sense that istdp is, in some ways, quite grand? We will continue to try to answer these and many other questions as we proceed to the case of the woman with the machine gun.

In this episode, Maury and Deb return to the end of the German architect case, and begin their reflections on all that has come before. They discuss the anxieties that come at the end of an initial session. Connected with this, they also discuss the sales, commodification, and capitalistic aspects of therapy, and how these may, at times, be visible in Davanloo. They then explore Davanloo’s summary of the case and share their reactions to it, noting especially the absence of reflection about his own unconscious contribution to the therapeutic relationship.

In this episode Deb and Maury continue with an analysis of the German Architect case. They consider the ways that Davanloo's approach can be seen as an attempt to convince the patient to do the work. They also discuss the potential implicit or explicit assumptions of what constitutes a "cure" in ISTDP and in psychotherapy more generally.ReferencesDavanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley.Kovel, J. (1980). The American mental health industry. In Ingleby, D. (Ed.), Critical Psychiatry: The Politics of Mental Health. New York: Pantheon. pp. 72-101.James, B. (Host). (2026, May 14). Catherine Liu | The Problem With Trauma Culture | HITW 165 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENktQEsdwds&t=4500s

On this episode, Deb and Maury continue to wrestle with the meaning of the German Architect’s slip of the intellect, react to the post breakthrough exploration, and become especially interested in the dynamic meaning of certain literary choices in the construction of the case write up— why are transcripts sometimes used, and at other times narratives? What are the differences in experience for the reader, when transcript is included vs summarized? They are also struck by a radical shift in the case, and begin to wonder how that came about.References:Abbass, A. (2015). Reaching through resistance: Advanced psychotherapy techniques. Seven Leaves Press.Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley.Langs, R. (1978). The listening process. Jason Aronson.Ogden, T. H. (1997). On psychoanalytic writing. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 78(2), 267–285.

In this episode, Maury and deb explore part 2 of the German architect case, and continue to explore Davanloo’s interpretation of events, and offer new, alternate conceptualizations of their own. They discuss issues of diagnosis and technique with passive transference resistance, think about the thorny issue of interrupting patients in ISTDP, and struggle with the limitations of transcript and the ambiguities it creates. Beyond all that, they seem to be having a pretty damn good time. Stay tuned for more soon.ReferencesDavanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley.Deutsch, H. (1992). The therapeutic process, the self, and female psychology: Collected psychoanalytic papers. Transaction Publishers.Freud, S. (1957). Mourning and melancholia (J. Strachey, Ed. & Trans.). In The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 243–258). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1917)Jung, C. G. (1969). Answer to Job. Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1952)Langs, R. (1978). The listening process. Jason Aronson.Weiss, J., Sampson, H., & the Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group. (1986). The psychoanalytic process: Theory, clinical observations, and empirical research. Guilford Press.