The Invitation of a Psychoanalyst

Addictions in general such as alcoholism, bulimia, anorexia, smoking, gambling and other excesses that occur during a divorce, can generate dependence.  But anguish, anxiety, depression... are not "diseases", although some would have us believe that. These "conditions" sicken the subject, of course, but this does not mean they are diseases. They are "symptoms". Symptoms of somatic or mental suffering. Sometimes both.

Each event listed above shall be discussed as a "symptom" within the meaning assigned by subjective psychoanalysis. Jack Lacan said: "A symptom is what comes from reality."

According to the psychoanalyst, one is not there, only the sign of a disorder (medical) or a (mental) disturbance being there. It is, however, related to a conflict, a knot of meanings in arrears, something related to the subject or to their history and that is what the psychoanalyst has to work with. It is the memory of a traumatic event, a trauma suffered by the subject. Thus, a psychoanalyst’s purpose is to help the subject escape from a situation they cannot escape on their own. This often occurs after too much advice on how to divorce, after being dragged in court and an ugly divorce itself.

They say whatever comes into their head, that is to say, in short, everything that they reckon. There is talk without a predetermined conclusion, without having to judge what is useful or useless to say or need to target a particular purpose. The best thing to do in all situations is to talk.

This is a strange experience even after thirty-three years of practice... Usually, when something goes wrong, they have to become accustomed to it and if they do not understand or know what to do in that situation, they have to refer to another: mother, father, elder, friend, teacher, doctor, lawyer, priest, expert, judge, MP, just like it happens in case of a divorce or with divorce mediation. And they think, very naturally, that it's there for them. They have to think they are there for them and that these persons know what they don’t. They know. They know what they do not know. These persons will tell them why this is so for them, and even more, how to fix it. And they must take this into consideration.

Well, the Freudian invention is quite the contrary! Speak up, take the risk of speaking up. Speak with your own words and try to keep everything away from someone who is not there to help you. Try this experiment, you will find very quickly that your word will lead you somewhere. And it will not be in vain that you have had such courage. What is your symptom?