2025 Holtzman Essay Prize Presentation

“Buried in the Future Which Has Not Happened”
Non-linear Time, Non-logic and the Ultimate Reality of the Session

Winner of the 7th Annual Holtzman
Interdisciplinary Psychoanalytic Essay Prize

Saturday, March 8, 2025

2:00 to 4:00 pm

Reception following presentation

2 CME and CE Credit Hours

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Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute
32841 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills

Or join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/my/michiganpsychoanalysis

About the presenter: Avner Bergstein is a training and supervising psychoanalyst and faculty member of the Israel Psychoanalytic Society. He has authored numerous papers elaborating on the clinical implications of the writings of Bion and Meltzer and is the author of the 2018 book Bion and Meltzer’s Expeditions into Unmapped Mental Life: Beyond the Spectrum in Psychoanalysis. He is a visiting lecturer at several psychoanalytic institutes and conducts reading seminars focusing on the writings of W.R. Bion. He is also the recipient of the IPA 2021 Elizabeth Young-Bruehl Prejudice Award.

Practice Gap/Need and Course Description: Facilitating one’s ability for truthfully apprehending reality is at the heart of psychoanalytic work. And yet, Bion’s radical contribution to psychoanalysis, and its affinity with contemporary insights from Quantum Theory, highlights the ungraspable complexity of reality that does not conform to what is comprehensible to the human mind. Expanding on Bion’s mode of listening extends the work of analysis beyond uncovering unconscious thoughts buried in the past, to cultivating a psychically alive mind capable of generating novel thoughts, oriented toward the future and the unknown. The presenter brings clear explanations of Bion’s ideas that can expand our therapeutic approaches and theoretical understandings.

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:

1: Discuss Bion’s idea of the inherent unknowability of the human mind and reality

2: Apply Bion’s ideas about tolerating the unknown and ambiguity to better listen to their patients to help them become more tolerant about the unknown and oriented toward the future.

Please call Monica Evans at 248-851-3380 for additional information

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION

ACCME Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement

The APsA CE Committee has reviewed the materials for accredited continuing education and has determined that this activity is not related to the product line of ineligible companies and therefore, the activity meets the exception outlined in Standard 3: ACCME’s identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationship. This activity does not have any known commercial support.

CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL WORK

The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute is an approved provider with the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative.

CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS

The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.