Skin and Psychoanalysis

Organised by:

Tavistock Relationships

Description

Skin and gaze, itching and anxiety, the role of ego functions, body image, and boundaries in the development of identity

With Prof Jorge Ulnik

This seminar explores the intersection between psychoanalysis and dermatology, focusing on how subjective experience can be expressed through the skin. Dr Ulnik will share his experience working alongside dermatologists and the the relationship between what the psychoanalyst hears and what the dermatologist sees. He proposes that both perspectives observe suffering that is both psychic and somatic. Key links will be made between skin and gaze, itching and anxiety, and the role of ego functions, body image, and boundaries in the development of identity. Skin symptoms are understood as forms of communication, defense, or even substitutes for identity.

Somatic symptoms reflect different ways the mind processes emotional experience. Some physical symptoms arise from overwhelming emotional tension without carrying a clear symbolic meaning, while others express inner fantasies, memories, or unresolved emotional conflicts. Understanding these manifestations requires examining how bodily sensations relate to perception, memory, emotions, and representation. It also involves considering the relationship between the body, external reality, and interpersonal experience. At times, bodily symptoms appear where language reaches its limits, expressing experiences that are difficult to think about or communicate directly. In this sense, the body may serve as a form of expression when certain emotional realities cannot yet be fully put into words.

The final section outlines a series of character types derived from psychoanalytic work with dermatology patients: fragmented, narcissistic, identity-diffused, unaware of their condition, and hypersensitive or “allergic to everything.” Each profile reflects specific relational patterns, defensive organisations, and failures of symbolisation, and each calls for distinct therapeutic approaches. More broadly, integrating psychoanalytic understanding into dermatological practice deepens diagnostic insight, strengthens the doctor–patient relationship, and supports more nuanced, individualised therapeutic interventions.

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