Psychoanalytic psychotherapy during the coronavirus pandemic: patient responses to isolation and change in traditional psychotherapeutic setting

PSYCHOANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY DURING PANDEMIC

  • Konstantin Yagniuk
  • Amaliya Baskuryan
  • Svetlana Bimbat
  • Gennady Kuzmenok
  • Irina Chirtsova
  • Elena Shmunk
Keywords: psychoanalytic psychotherapy, teletherapy, setting, trauma, coronavirus, pandemic, COVID-19

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the clinical investigation of patients’ reactions on isolation and changing of traditional setting of psychoanalytic psychotherapy due to spreading of COVID-19. Extraordinary circumstances in which we all found ourselves, demanded sharp and significant changes in a setting so that psychotherapy could proceed. The neсessity of transfer the therapeutic sessions from physical space of the psychotherapeutic office into a special virtual office was a challenge for all of us – both patients and therapists. There are six clinical vignettes in this article which illustrate variety of emotional responses and unconscious fantasies of the patients due to these changes. Rapid changes of life and therapeutic setting resulted in actualization of traumatic experience of patients, intensive affects and primitive fantasies and defenses caused by collusion with painful external and internal reality. In some cases, this period was not only the time of prominent stress but also a starting point for unexpected, positive changes in current life and therapeutic process.

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Author Biographies

Konstantin Yagniuk

Yagniuk Konstantin Vladimirovich – clinical psychologist, psychoanalytic individual and a couple psychotherapist, full member of the Section of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy of adults and the participant of the Group of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for patients with combined treatment at the Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, full member the Society of Psychoanalytic Couple and Family Psychotherapists, the faculty member of the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis, editor of the Journal of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis, the author of the books "The Anatomy of Therapeutic Communication. Basic Skills and Techniques" (2014) and "The Therapeutic Encounter and Key Skills in Psychotherapy. Selected Papers" (2021).

Amaliya Baskuryan

Baskuryan Amaliya Kostantinovna – clinical psychologist, Candidate of Sciences in Biology, psychoanalytic individual psychotherapist, the associate member of the Section of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults and the participant of the Group of psychoanalytic patients with combined psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the faculty member of the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis.

Svetlana Bimbat

Bimbat Svetlana Davidovna – psychologist, psychoanalytic individual psychotherapist, the associate member of the Section for individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults and the participant of the Group of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for patients with combined treatment at Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. She teaches the course "Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma: Psychoanalytic View" at the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis.

Gennady Kuzmenok

Kuzmenok Gennady Fedorovich – Psychiatrist, Candidate of Sciences in Medicine, psychoanalytic individual psychotherapist, group analyst (COIRAG, EGATIN), couple and family psychotherapist and supervisor (IGA, London), full member of the Section of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults and the Chairman of the Group of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for patients with combined treatment at the Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, full member the Society of Psychoanalytic Couple and Family Psychotherapists. He teaches in training programs on psychoanalytic individual, couple and family psychotherapy and group analysis.

Irina Chirtsova

Chirtsova Irina Vladimirovna – psychologist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, the associate member of the Section of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults and the participant of the Group of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for patients with combined treatment at the Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.

Elena Shmunk

Shmunk Elena Viktorovna – psychiatrist, Candidate of Sciences in Medicine, psychoanalytic individual psychotherapist, the full member of the Section of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults and the participant of the Group of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for patients with combined treatment at the Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the faculty member of the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis.

Published
2021-05-13
How to Cite
YagniukK., BaskuryanA., BimbatS., KuzmenokG., ChirtsovaI., & ShmunkE. (2021). Psychoanalytic psychotherapy during the coronavirus pandemic: patient responses to isolation and change in traditional psychotherapeutic setting. Journal of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis, 2(1), 121-148. Retrieved from https://psychoanalysis-journal.hse.ru/article/view/12416
Issue
Vol 2 No 1 (2021): Journal of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis
Section
CLINICAL PSYCHOANALYSIS