October 2019 "Intuition: An Overview" with Jeffrey Eaton, MA, FIPA

The topic of Intuition is an intriguing, elusive and perhaps neglected one in psychoanalytic thinking. Some of the outstanding figures in British object relations were known as deeply intuitive thinkers. For example, the clinical work of Melanie Klein, Wilfred Bion, Donald Meltzer, and Betty Joseph relied not only on theory but on the analyst’s intuition in making links from the patient’s communications and material. How do we think about intuition and its place in psychoanalytic listening? Over the course of several scientific meetings this academic year (2019-20), presenters will consider the theme of intuition and explore how to conceptualize and describe it. Presenters will include Maxine Anderson, MD, FIPA, Jeffrey Eaton, MA, FIPA, Judy K Eekhoff, PhD, FIPA, Caron Harrang, LICSW, FIPA, and Robert Oelsner, MD, FIPA. Presentations will include reviews of articles and discussions with the audience as well as the presenters' own reflections on articles and topics and in some cases original work. A panel of presenters will conclude the series in May. Jeffrey Eaton presents a brief overview of the concept of intuition drawing on Freud, Bion, and Grotstein. He sketches a model to contextualize the concept of intuition within a practical clinical context. The emphasis is on the therapist’s experience of intuition as an aspect of evolved listening. There is no required reading for this seminar but reference is made to clarifying notions derived from Bion’s paper “Notes on Memory and Desire” and in particular his concept of an ‘evolution' in an analytic session.