Obituaries
2023
Gérard Bayle
La Société Psychanalytique de Paris a la tristesse de vous faire part du décès de Gérard BAYLE, ancien Président de la SPP, le 26 octobre 2023, à l’âge de 82 ans.
Médecin puis psychiatre, affilié à la SPP depuis 1979, c’était un formateur d’un grand rayonnement personnel auprès de nos membres et un clinicien chercheur tant dans sa pratique avec les adultes qu’avec les enfants et en psychodrame. Il est l’auteur de très nombreux ouvrages et articles qui font autorité, en particulier à partir de son rapport au CPLF sur les clivages en 1996.
Il a été directeur-adjoint de la Revue française de Psychanalyse, et a dirigé avec Georges Pragier le Congrès des Psychanalystes de langue Française entre 1998 et 2004. Président de la SPP entre 2004 et 2007, il a initié une réflexion institutionnelle et mené une réforme de nos statuts.
Nous perdons un membre très aimé, animateur de notre vie institutionnelle et du développement de la psychanalyse. Emmanuelle Chervet
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It is with great sadness that we inform the psychoanalytical community of the death of Gérard Bayle on October 26, at the age of 82. Gérard Bayle started out as a general practitioner before becoming a psychiatrist. He was a full member and training analyst at the Paris Psychoanalytical Society, to which he had belonged since 1979. He was recognized for his qualities as a clinician and theoretician both in his analytical practice with children and adults and as a psychodramatist, and was also a highly influential training analyst, who will be fondly remembered by many members. His thinking always combined reflection and sensitivity, seriousness and gaiety, deeply inspired by play. He approached theorizing with cheerful enthusiasm, always in a shared, collaborative approach, involving the group. He is the author of numerous works and articles which have become authoritative, in particular his report on splittings in 1996. In 1988, he was awarded the Maurice Bouvet prize for an article on this theme.
But he also held important positions in our Society, which he fulfilled with great earnestness. He was deputy editor of the Revue française de Psychanalyse with Claude Le Guen and Jean Cournut from 1988 to 1996. He directed and developed with Georges Pragier the Congress of French-Speaking Analysts from 1998 to 2005. As president of the Paris Psychoanalytical Society from 2005 to 2007, he initiated an institutional reflection which led to a reform of our statutes transforming the categorisation of members.
He also participated in numerous collaborative creations, such as the ETAP Association for psychodrama with Isaac Salem, or the French-British Seminar.
We have lost a fellow traveller, loved by all, who was passionate about sailing, took risks, and knew how to unite, develop and establish institutional dynamics. We send our very affectionate thoughts to his wife Aleth Prudent-Bayle and his children. Emmanuelle Chervet
Irma Brenman Pick
It is with great sadness that I write on behalf of the British Psychoanalytical Society to inform the international psychoanalytical community of the death of our colleague Mrs. Irma Brenman Pick. Naomi Shavit, a Fellow of our Society wrote to inform me of Irma’s death on August 3rd:
"Irma died this morning, peacefully with her immediate family and devoted carer with her. As many of you will know she’d been ever frailer in recent weeks. She even managed a last trip with her family to a hotel in the New Forest, returning less than 48 hours before she died. She was determined and pleased to have been able to make that final trip despite her frailty. The nursing and care ensured that her last days were as peaceful and comfortable as possible.”
Irma was born and raised in South Africa and graduated with distinction from the Social Science Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where she had a brief involvement in radical student politics. Her early academic promise brought a prestigious award as the best student in her year. Read full obituary by Dr Vic Sedlak, President British Psychoanalytical Society
Coralie Trotter
The South African psychoanalytic community is mourning the loss of a true icon, Coralie Trotter, who passed away on March 12, 2023. As a highly respected analyst with the South African Psychoanalytical Association (SAPA), Coralie's contributions to the field were truly exceptional.
Coralie's work in the Life Esidimeni arbitration and the Brick Mother report was groundbreaking and pivotal in exposing the Gauteng Health Department's mistreatment of vulnerable psychiatric patients. Her work resulted in a landmark legal ruling and an unprecedented award to the families of those who had died. Coralie was recognized for her remarkable efforts with the inaugural IPA community award for Law and Psychoanalysis in 2019.
Coralie was a fierce advocate of human rights.She also had extensive clinical experience in various settings focusing on crisis and trauma interventions particularly for the Detainees Counseling Service and the Trauma Clinic of the Centre for Violence and Reconciliation. She was a facilitator for racial conflict resolution groups leading up to the dissolution of Apartheid.
Coralie was not only a respected analyst but also the founder of GRASP (the Groups for the reading and study of psychoanalysis). Her tireless dedication to teaching, mentoring, and supervising made her a revered figure in the field. Her fierce drive and extraordinary mind inspired all those who had the privilege of working with her.
The loss of Coralie Trotter is felt deeply by the psychoanalytic community, her loved ones, and her son Kai. We celebrate Coralie's life and mourn her passing, knowing that her remarkable work has left an indelible mark on our lives.
Elda Storck, President of the South African Psychoanalytical Association