A quick heads-up that Dr. Thomas M Brod MD is planning a conference on Charlie Kaufman films by psychoanalysts at UCLA April 24. The program's being designed for students, the general public and clinicians.
From a post by Dr. Brod on the IMDB:
Mirrors, Mirrors in the Mind: Reflections on the Films of Charlie Kaufman:
The films of writer Charlie Kaufman – including Being John Malkovich), Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synecdoche NY are entertainments that satisfy academic and psychoanalytic exploration. The subjects of consciousness, integrity and loss are common themes in these stylistically different films. These films raise questions about the creative process as defensive vs. growth-promoting mental activities; illustrate how we live with internal primitive mental states in a nuanced world of human relatedness; and explore themes of loss and memory, trauma and finitude. Charlie Kaufman's films provide insight into the pain and projections that fly between people and create havoc in relationships. Clips from the films illustrate the morning talks; Synechdoche NY is screened and discussed in the afternoon.
Sponsored by New Center for Psychoanalysis
And Psychoanalytic Center of California
In cooperation with the Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior at UCLA
Fee: $ 35 no CE credit; $ 80 with 6 CE/CME credits
call 310-478-6541 for advanced registration discount
Conference Schedule
9-9:30: Reflections-Comic and Poignant —Thomas M. Brod, MD
9:30-10 am Pain and Confusion and the Need to Get Rid of One's Mind--Jon Tabakin, PhD
10- 10:30 Trauma, Loss, and the Collapse of Time and Memory Julia M. Schwartz, MD
10:30-11 general discussion
11-11:15 break
11:15-11:45 Themes of Personal Agency and Selfhood--Jeffrey Trop, MD
11:45-noon general discussion
1:15-4 pm Part II: "Synecdoche NY"--A Dream of Self Passage
Introduction-Dr. Brod
Screening of the film with a break at midpoint.
Panel Discussion with Apuva Shah, MD, Janet K. Smith, PhD, Peter Wolson, PhD (moderated by Dr. Brod)
General Discussion ] (Source)
There's a Facebook page, too. Spread the word!
UPDATE: There's now a website with all the relevant info. This looks pretty terrific -- I wish I could attend!
Dr. Brod says:
There is, as I expected, a lot of interest in this symposium. The page has been up for less than a week and gotten 31 confirmed invitees--with six weeks to go. We have a beautiful new auditorium, but it has, I believe, a capacity of only 150 people.
If any of you guys attend, give us a buzz and let us know how it went, hey?
