Huge thanks to everyone who came out last night for Phantoms of the Clinic: From Thought-Transference to Projective Identification, most especially to Mikita for a fantastic presentation, including a wonderful discussion at the end. Be sure to check out the book on which this lecture was based Phantoms of the Clinic: From Thought-Transference to Projective Identification.
In this lecture, Mikita Brottman discusses Freud’s interest in magic and thought-transference, contrasting his public rejection with his private fascination. After mentioning George Devereux’s classic collection Psychoanalysis and the Occult (1953), Mikita highlights psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Jule Eisenbud’s work on thought-transference, noting how unconscious thoughts can manifest in patients’ dreams, and touching upon his work with Ted Serios. Brottman argues that clinical concepts, such as projective identification formulated by Melanie Klein, may be masking the overwhelming potential of thought-transference. The discussion includes reflections on adolescents’ heightened sensitivity to such phenomena and the broader implications for psychoanalysis and understanding the unconscious. The conversation also explores the concept of synchronicity.
Mikita Brottman, PhD is an author, literature professor, cultural critic, and psychoanalyst. Her most recent books have focused on true crime: An Unexplained Death (Henry Holt, 2018), Couple Found Slain (Henry Holt, 2021) and Guilty Creatures (One Signal/Simon & Schuster, 2024).
Mikita has an online course coming up via Morbid Anatomy: Reading and Writing True Crime with Author and Psychoanalyst Mikita Brottman, PhD, Begins January 6
