Membership

Membership of the School of the Freudian Letter (SFL) is founded on the subject’s desire for psychoanalysis. Such a desire cannot ex-sist without a sustained investment in the experience of personal analysis as a questioning of each their relation to jouissance.

Inscription as Member of the SFL requires:
–          Ongoing participation in the working community of the SFL
–          Considerable previous or ongoing personal analysis

Psychoanalytic Formation, Respons(a)bility and Verification

Lacan’s orientation in Freudian psychoanalysis marked a particular threshold of the psychoanalytic act as pertaining to the assumption of analytic praxis as such. Such an assumption cannot ex-sist without the respons(a)bility that is its very foundation; remarking Lacan’s measure that ‘responsibility only goes as far as one’s savoir faire’.[1]

An Analyst of the SFL, whether as Candidate Analyst or as Practising Analyst, is here deemed ‘Analyst in Formation’ in keeping with the principle of formation as work in progress.

Inscription as Candidate or Practising Analyst of the SFL generally requires:

–          Membership of the SFL
–          Prior and ongoing participation in the working community of the SFL
–          Personal analysis with an Analyst of the SFL
–          Case supervision with Analysts of the SFL
–          Surpassing of thresholds minimally necessary for psychoanalytic practice as indicated in the Principles of Formation of the SFL and in the spirit of its working community

Verification

As Lacan ex-posed through his investigations in the fields immanent to psychoanalytic praxis, the analyst cannot but be the author of his/her act. That is, in taking up psychoanalytic praxis s/he can only authorise him/herself and needs be able to bear the consequences arising from such a declaration.

It is one thing to declare and authorise oneself in so doing and it is quite another matter to be acknowledged by others on the basis of this service.

Verification by enumeration is something of a symptom of our times: it is impossible. An indication of the scope of participation called for within the School of the Freudian Letter that could form the basis for acknowledgement as formative is given below:

–          2000 encounters in terms of personal analysis;

–          At least 100 encounters in terms of seminars, study groups, study days, congresses;

–          At least 3 cases in supervision for 3 years each, once a week for each case; with at least two supervisors;

–          For the duration of the latter, at least one cartel per year;

–          For each year, at least one active participation in one of the study groups offered by the SFL;

–          The Transliteration of Desire.

[1] Lacan, J Joyce Le Sinthome