Scientific Meeting – Shame and the Role of Blame
Book ticketsOrganised by:
Toronto Psychoanalytic Society & Institute
Description
SCIENTIFIC MEETING – The Contribution of Creative Responses to the Experience of Shame in Couple Psychotherapy and Exploring the Role of Blame in Couple Relationships within the Triangular Setting of Couple Psychotherapy
** HYBRID MEETING: Offered via Zoom or in person. In person registration is limited to 50 participants.
In person location: Toronto Psychoanalytic Society – 40 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 203 – Toronto, ON M4T 1M9
Presenter: Amita Seghal, PhD
Saturday, March 22, 2025: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm (1 hr break)
TPS Scientific Meeting: Open to All
Fee: $150
Preregistration is required.
3(a). The Contribution of Creative Responses to the Experience of Shame in Couple Psychotherapy. Sehgal, A. (2015). Couple and Family Psychoanalysis 5(1): 41-56.
This paper describes how the emotional states of shame and humiliation are interconnected. Recent neurophysiological findings are drawn on together with an appreciation of the developmental significance of shame in mother-infant interactions in the first two years of life to explain the importance of the application of these concepts to couple therapy. Object relations theory is also cited to explore some to the unconscious dynamics that might be operating in couples where shame and humiliation form the core of their relational dynamic. This is followed by the description of how partners can be helped to manage the other’s shame effectively and, in doing so, give rise to a novel and much longed-for experience within the relationship. Finally, the clinical challenges of working with shame and humiliation in couple psychotherapy are considered.
3(b). Exploring the Role of Blame in Couple Relationships within the Triangular Setting of Couple Psychotherapy. Sehgal, A. (2018). British Journal of Psychotherapy 34(2): 255-269.
This paper describes the process of couple therapy with two couples that used blame as the currency of exchange in their relationship. Both couples struggled with managing three-person relationships. The triangular setting of couple psychotherapy provoked and triggered primitive anxieties around exclusion, rejection and abandonment in both cases. I draw upon clinical work with two such couples to illustrate how one repeatedly collapsed the triangular space whereas the other gradually became more able to bear it. I refer to scientific evidence of the brain’s ability to continue to change in response to new learning by forming fresh neural connections throughout life. I suggest that the repetitive occurrence of new experiences within couple psychotherapy can generate new neural pathways thereby biologically influencing new ways of how partners might respond to each other. I conclude by highlighting the therapeutic potential of the framework within which couple psychotherapy takes place, a triangular configuration which offers a developmental opportunity for navigating primitive anxieties related to triangular relationships.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:
Participant will be able to appreciate the role of a shame and humiliation in couple conflict
Participant will be able to appreciate the developmental role of shame in mother infant interaction
Participants will understand how primitive anxieties of exclusion and rejection can trigger repetitive destructive blame cycles and how couple therapy might address these issues of tolerating triangular relating.
Amita Sehgal, PhD
Amita Sehgal is a Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and a Visiting Lecturer at Tavistock Relationships, London.
Amita has worked in the field of adult mental health for almost 30 years. Her commitment to good mental health and emotional well-being underpins her work with individuals, couples and families. In her client-centred practice she offers a safe and confidential service helping clients develop emotional resilience, reduce anxiety-related symptoms, and strengthen their key relationships in creative and constructive ways.
She has written extensively in the field of couple psychoanalysis and teaches and supervises internationally. Her book: Sadism: Psychoanalytic Developmental Perspectives was published by Karnac-Routledge (2018).
This event is eligible for Section 1 CME credits (0.5 credits/hour). This event is an accredited group learning activity (section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certificate Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, approved by the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA). The specific opinions and content of this event are not necessarily those of the CPA, and are the responsibility of the organizer(s) alone. As per the Royal College standard, each presentation provides a minimum of 25% interactive learning.
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