IPA Podcast Geographies of Psychoanalysis

More and more, psychoanalysis has to reckon with cultures different from that belonging to its foundations and initial diffusion; alongside the problems posed by the transformations of the contemporary world. The intent of Geographies of Psychoanalysis is to draw a map of the psyche that takes into account the interconnections and differences that occur in a now globalised reality. The focus of this first cycle is the problematic theme of death in different cultures and religions, and the ways of dealing with it in the event of the pandemic. 

This podcast series is conceived by Lorena Preta and the Geographies of Psychoanalysis Group.

The podcast archive can be found on the Podbean platform: https://geographiesofpsychoanalysis.podbean.com

Editing by Massimiliano Guerrieri.

Episode 5
Japanese View of Life and Death - Furui Hiroaki

Summary: With The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, the government was unable to impose a lockdown, but asked people instead to do same thing voluntarily. Incorporated in this, sacrificial rituals can be seen . The book “Voluntary death in Japan” (1984) written by Maurice Pinguet was very helpful to Furui Hiroaki in thinking about the Japanese view of life and death. Pinguet's idea of seeing vitality in voluntary death seems to be a suggestion with which to overcome the current pandemic. He picks up on two recent topics that have been talked about on the theme of saving people: The movie "MINAMATA" and The movie version of Demon Slayer- Kimetsu no Yaiba “Infinity Train”. Unlike suicide, voluntary death is, so to speak, a story of rebirth.
Furui Hiroaki is a psychiatrist specialized in psychoanalysis. For some decades he was dedicated to the treatment of in-hospital patients, then 15 years ago, he opened his own clinic and has to date treated over 6000 patients there. Within his career, he has spent 2 years, from 1997 to 1999, in the US for training as an international fellow at the Karl Menninger School in the United States. At that time, he also received training analysis. He is currently working as a full-time clinician in his psychiatric clinic, he also dedicates as much time as possible to doing psychoanalysis. In June of 2020, He was admitted as Member of the International Psychoanalytical Association. His major studies in psychoanalysis include: countertransference to aggression in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder,and psychotherapy processes in patients with borderline personality disorders who have experienced sibling sexual abuse.

8 November 2021