Grégoire Pierre, Author at Grégoire Pierre, Psychotherapy New York

20 December 201827 October 2021

It is Christmas

Dear Readers:

Is Christmas the “most wonderful time of the year?” At this time of year, when people are more or less requested to be happy and surrounded by their all loving family, many people feel even worse than usual.

This illustrates how values shared by a society at large may influence how its inhabitants feel individually, for instance during this holiday season to move from being alone to feeling lonely.

In the US, Thanksgiving gathers probably more tension than Christmas does. But in France, Christmas, or should I say “Noël” is really the family gathering holiday.

Sincerely,

Grégoire Pierre

30 September 201827 October 2021

What are we listening to?

Dear Readers:

Listening to our patients requires us to be sensitive to many different parts of them at the same time.

For instance, adults not only bring their present self, but also, among many other things, their past ones and what they envision to be their future ones.

In these cases, not to be sensitive to child and elderly psychology can hurt the way we work and our patients’ ability to understand and integrate themselves.

Sincerely,

Grégoire Pierre

31 August 201827 October 2021

What past are we talking about?

Dear Readers:

One day someone told me, regarding something we were both present at

“nothing happened because nothing happened to me.”

As unsettling as this comment can be from a fellow human being, it can illustrate quite well normal group functioning.

On a regular basis, groups tend to split and are in great difficulty to create or sustain any kind of empathy. But groups can also develop mechanisms to reduce these phenomenons. When a part of a group works on its history, it creates a space, an opportunity for each member of the group to know where the group comes from.

It is an integration process. It allows us to understand what happened to others and how this still shapes what is happening to us today. The past is such an important part of our societies and our life that we often witness internal or external battles to reshape it.

In a personal analysis, it is never a question of changing the past, but to allow oneself to remember it as close as possible as it was experienced, and to reintegrate it.

Grégoire Pierre

5 March 201727 October 2021

Perception of science validity

This is a very interesting article about the way we perceive the validity of different scientific fields. It does not address the frequently asked question of whether or not psychoanalysis is a science, but it does put into perspective some cultural bias we might not be aware of when we think of these things.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/03/people-have-no-idea-which-sciences-are-robust/

25 February 201727 October 2021

Self hatred and society values

In this article, a woman talks about how some people’s attitude radically changed after she became slimmer, and how it eventually hurt her. This illustrates how the values of the society we live in influence greatly how we perceive ourselves and others. It can also be seen as how oneself image is not just the image one sees in the mirror, and how pain can erupt long after damages were inflicted.

Who or what are we nice to?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/24/moment-change-me-lashing-out-stranger-opened-door

28 March 201627 October 2021

Psychoanalysis in the City

Psychoanalysis in the City will provide you with events around psychoanalysis that are happening in New York City.

Low fee Therapy with Members-In-Training

You can find a weekly therapy for as little at $35 per session in New York City. The institute where I did my New York training runs a referral service on 40W 13th Street, next to my current office.

The institute is called the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP.org). It was founded by Theodor Reik in the 50′s as a place to train people who weren’t doctors to listen and care for people who were suffering. The referral service is named for him: Theodor Reik Consultation Center (TRCC).

Here’s how it works. You call (212) ANALYST to set up an intake appointment. You then meet with our Director of Intake. She will choose from a roster of therapists based on your preferences (what neighborhoods you frequent, what fee you can afford, whether you feel more comfortable speaking to a man or a woman). TRCC has been successfully matching therapists .to patients for more than 60 years.

Some of the therapists on the roster are Members-In-Training. These are people who have completed a master’s degree plus coursework at NPAP, plus personal analysis and speak weekly to an experienced supervisor.

Frequently asked questions are found here: http://www.212analyst.org/faq/faq.html.

Affordable psychotherapy in New York City is rare, but now you know.