Judith Mitrani, Ph.D.:
Working with Primitive States of Being in Adult Patients
(April 17, 2009)

CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION:
In the 1980s and 90s, Frances Tustin described psychogenic autism as 'a treaction to an infantile trauma associated with unbearably painful awareness of bodily separatedness from the suckling mother,' and went on to recognize that some of our more neurotic adult patients are 'haunted by these same primeval forces.' In this conference, Dr. Judith Mitrani will offer her extension of Tustin's ideas to her own work with adults. Using extensive clinical material, Dr. Mitrani will describe the implications of Tustin's work for conceptualizing and treating adult patients who present with autistic and other primitive states of being, and will focus in particular on how enactments in psychotherapy arise from such states.

SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCE:
A unique part of IPI's training approach is the small group experience, in which participants integrate intellectual and emotional reaactions to the material that has been presented, and apply it to their clinical practice. in the small group, participants discuss, argue, wrestle with, experience personally, and take in the concepts that become a natural part of their way of working. For this conference, IPI is offering an optional small group for participants, from 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. To enroll, specify that you would like to participate in the small group on the registration form.

Note: Dr. Mitrani will also present in the morning of April 17, 2009, in our Master Speaker Videoconference Seminar

LOCATION:
Westminster College: Gore Auditorium

TIME and DATE: 12:30 - 5:00 p.m. (6:15 p.m. with small group); April, 17, 2009

COST: $90, $100 with small group

CE CREDITS: 4 (5 with small group)

ABOUT JUDITH MITRANI, PH.D.:
Judith L. Mitrani, Ph.D. is a Training and Supervising Analyst at The Psychoanalytic Center of California and The Newport Psychoanalytic Institute. A full active member of the International Psycho-Analytical Association, Dr. Mitrani has published numerous papers in the area of primitive mental states in both international and American journals, and her work has been translated in six languages. She is the author of the books Framework for the Imaginary: Clinical Explorations in Primitive States of Being (1996) and Ordinary People and Extra-Ordinary Protections: a post-Kleinian Approach to the Treatment of Primitive Mental States (2001) and is also co-editor -- with her analyst/husband Dr. Theodore Mitrani -- of the book Encounters with Autistic States: A Memorial Tribute to Frances Tustin (1997) and the upcoming book Frances Tustin Today. Dr. Mitrani is also the founding and current Chair of the Frances Tustin Memorial Trust <http://www.frances-tustin-autism.org>. She supervises and lectures internationally – in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas -- on topics related to the treatment of autistic states in adults and the technique with the infantile transference. Her clinical and theoretical perspectives derive predominantly from the work of Melanie Klein, Wilfred Bion, Donald Winnicott and of course Frances Tustin's work on autistic states. She is in private practice with adults in Los Angeles, California.

Judith Mitrani, Ph.D.