Psychoanalysis in Spain: A Brief Account of the Transformative Pathways Between the Psychoanalysts and Their Institutions

Abstract

Psychoanalysis in Spain has a plural history. Rooted in the Freudian and Kleinian traditions, it has developed in different directions and incorporated trends from contemporary psychoanalysis. The impact of socio-political factors forced several migratory movements that came back to Spain under the form of criticism to classical psychoanalysis, following ideas that were emerging from Latin America (e.g., Pichon Rivière) and North America (Cultural and Interpersonal Psychoanalysis, Self Psychology, and Intersubjective System theories) that enriched psychoanalytic thinking, and promoted new psychoanalytic institutions. Finally, Steve Mitchell’s relational perspective plays a crucial role among present developments.

Notes

¹ An extended account of the history of the SEP can be found in Pérez-Sánchez and Anguera Domenjó (2011). For the origins of psychoanalysis in Spain, see Carles et al. (2000).

² See the report developed by Muñoz de la Cruz (2011).

³ The 40th IPA Congress was also held in Barcelona in 1997, under the presidency of Horacio Etchegoyen.

⁴ Founded in Amsterdam in 1962 under the auspices of Erich Fromm.

⁵ Sociedad FORUM de Psicoterapia Psicoanalítica. This society publishes an e-journal devoted to contemporary psychoanalysis in the Spanish language: Aperturas Psicoanaliticas (www.aperturas.org).

⁶ IPSI is a training and Clinical Center in Barcelona, where many psychoanalytic trends coexist.

⁷ His main work is La conexión emocional (Riera, 2010).

⁸ Two papers showed his main theoretical and technical propositions (Ávila Espada, 2005, 2013).

⁹ The origin of the relational group of psychoanalysts that created this Institute started in the 1970s, developing their activities under several other societies, including Society for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy and Groups (SEGPA) and Quipú Instituto. By 2013, the clinical and training activities were developed in the Agora Relacional Center in Madrid.

¹⁰ Series “Pensamiento Relacional” (www.psicoterapiarelacional.es/Publicaciones.aspx) was under the direction of Alejandro Ávila Espada. Until the end of 2013, nine volumes have been published covering reviews of Fairbairn, relational psychoanalytic psychotherapy, Winnicott, sex therapy, intersubjective theory, mentalization, interpersonal tradition, and the last devoted M. Balint. For 2014, new volumes are under preparation: New tendencies in relational psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychopatology, works by M. Eigen, F. Borgogno, S. A. Mitchell, and others.

¹¹ Clínica e Investigación Relacional (CeIR; www.ceir.org.es).

¹² By 2013, he serves as President of APM.

¹³ GRITA: Research Group on Analytic Technique, under the coordination of Carlos Rodríguez-Sutil and the participation of Manuel Aburto, Augusto Abello, Rosario Castaño, Ariel Liberman and Susana Espinosa. A history of the themes addressed by this group, with their group transformations, can be found in Ávila Espada et al. (2007) and some documentation can be obtained in the web: www.psicoterapiarelacional.es/Documentación/GRITA.aspx

¹⁴ This is near Madrid, in the mountains.

¹⁵ Asociación Española de Psicoterapia Analítica.

¹⁶ He was involved in the creation of the Spanish Federation of Psychotherapy Associations in the 1990s, and he now occupies the Presidency.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alejandro Ávila-Espada

Alejandro Ávila-Espada, Ph.D., is Chair in Psychotherapy at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, Honorary President of the Institute of Relational Psychotherapy in Madrid, Spain, and Member of the Board of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.