SFU Forschungsbulletin

Assessment of the immigration phenomenon in Austria through the eyes of an immigrant psychoanalyst

Ümit May — 2024-11-26

In einer Zeit, die durch Globalisierung, eine starke Polarisierung von Wohlstand und Einkommen sowie der beispiellosen Mobilität ist die Zuwanderung zu einer der drängendsten Herausforderungen geworden, mit denen sich die Nationen weltweit konfrontiert sehen. Österreich, das im Herzen Europas liegt, hat eine beträchtliche Anzahl von Immigranten zu verzeichnen. Als Psychoanalytikerin mit Migrationshintergrund möchte die Autorin die Herausforderungen im Zusammenhang mit MigrantInnen im Kontext der psychoanalytischen Theorie und Praxis angehen, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf interkulturellen Ungleichheiten liegt.

Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy on Refugees

Carla Madi — 2024-11-26

Refugee crises have had a major impact globally, often causing professional groups including doctors, social scientists, and psychoanalysts to offer aid. The crucial need for security and stability is apparent, along with empathetic listening from psychotherapists in order to alleviate the refugees’ pain (Leuzinger-Bohleber et al., 2016). Psychodynamic psychotherapy has been proved to be efficacious in alleviating trauma-related symptoms. Studies in process and outcome research reveal in time the efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy by linking it to theoretical frameworks like attachment theory, in order to uncover the processes of change. The aim of psychodynamic therapy is to restore attachment and trust issues through transference and to allow the recreation of meaning to the patient’s experience (Yakely, 2014).

Kabinet.bg—a Model of an Outpatient Training Clinic in a non-regulated Environment of Psychotherapy in Bulgaria

Tzvetelina Iossifova — 2024-11-26

The text presents Kabinet.bg—emergency psychotherapy and emotional support. It gives a general non-exhaustive idea about the reasons for the emergence of the online platform, as a social response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the situation of mass trauma, and in the environment of non-regulated psychotherapy in Bulgaria.

Created in mid-2020 in response to the pandemic and to support those most in need and at the highest risk, the text illuminates the ideas, achievements, and difficulties that the platform encounters in its daily life. The demographic profile of the users is tracked – by gender, age, place of residence, distance, and connection channel, as well as the clinical profile of the users – according to their initial inquiries.

The text traces the transformation of the Kabinet.bg platform into a psychotherapy training clinic of the Bulgarian Society for Psychoanalysis and Group Analysis. The text asks questions and makes assumptions about the social dimensions in the application of psychotherapy.

The presented data is from the creation of the platform in mid-2020 to mid-May 2022.

Early Recollections Analysis: Patterns in People With Anxiety Disorders

Irena Hysenaj — 2024-11-26

Early recollections are specific and detailed childhood memories that contain symbols and metaphors describing individuals' basic features. This paper provides a review to explore early recollections and whether there are common themes which reveal specific patterns in individuals with anxiety disorders. Previous studies about early recollection are examined, including the methodologies used in order to analyse earlier memories, their relationship to diagnostic features, and differentiation across groups and lifestyle typologies. The review includes types of anxiety disorders, diagnostic criteria and challenges in the assessment process. It also explores the link between early recollections and functional evaluations in terms of anxiety disorders. The paper's conclusions indicate that early recollections offer insights into lifestyle, worldview, and the therapeutic relationship. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that identifying particular subtypes of anxiety disorders merely through using early recollections can be challenging due to their complex and varied characteristics. To ensure the more accurate diagnoses, and a comprehensive assessment, various factors need to be taken into account. Finally, we can state that early recollections are crucial in understanding and assessing anxiety disorders, especially in the Albanian context with limited standardized tools and research.

Understanding the Emotional Complexity of Female IVF Patients

Xhensila Xhelili — 2024-11-26

Infertility is a medical condition that affects the ability to conceive a child. While it is not classified as a disease, it has a significant emotional impact on individuals and couples. The emotional complexity (EC) and coping strategies of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) for infertility are the focus of the study. Infertility-related stress encompasses various domains, including social and sexual relationships, and the desire for parenthood. Emotional adjustment to infertility involves phases such as shock, sadness, and grief. Diagnostic uncertainty and coping strategies play important roles in psychological adjustment. Psychological theories, including Stress and Coping Theory, Attachment Theory, Cognitive-Behavioral Theory, Resilience Theory, and Meaning-Making, provide insights into the ECs and coping mechanisms associated with infertility and IVF. Understanding EC is crucial for supporting individuals undergoing infertility treatment and promoting their well-being. This study aims to consolidate knowledge about the emotional intricacies and coping strategies of women undergoing IVF treatment for infertility. It seeks to examine the current understanding of the infertility journey and assess the quality of research conducted on the social and psychological aspects of IVF patients' experiences.

Body, Mind and Subjective Experience as a Flow Systems With Configurations and Anticipatory System:

Cătălin Zaharia — 2024-11-26

This paper proposes an interdisciplinary approach. It integrates the constructal law, configuration flow systems, and anticipatory systems for understanding the complex interplay between the human body, mind, and the environment. The constructal law, which asserts that systems evolve to maximize flow, serves as a conceptual framework, highlighting the human body as an optimized flow system. Considering our body’s configuration, especially the brain’s, as in harmony with the constructal law principles, illuminates the efficiency of information and energy flows critical for perception, cognition, and consciousness. In particular, the brain’s topographic dynamic properties and temporospatial alignment underscore these flows, with implications for higher cognitive functions. Perception and language, as flow systems, further support this perspective, demonstrating that information flows from sensory input to advanced cognitive processes. The integration of anticipatory systems with intentionality broadens our understanding of the body-mind-environment triad. Lastly, by incorporating phenomenology, it is emphasized that the physiological processes underpinning flow systems are integral to subjective experiences, thereby reinforcing the relevance of a holistic approach to health, well-being, and performance. This comprehensive perspective, connecting disparate fields, offers a multidimensional understanding of the human condition.

Do We Dwell Within the Call of Being by Virtue of Our Languages?

Enila Ataie — 2024-11-26

All the words, regardless of the languages they belong to, are nothing but arrows pointing to concepts to signify them. Concepts, whether recognized and signified in a particular language or not, could be considered signifiable possibilities onto which Dasein could project its Being. As signifiers from different languages, these words sometimes refer to the exact same concept, especially when it is concrete; however, some of the so-called equivalents, for instance “das Sein” in German and “being” in English, are not able to signify accurately the same concept. The Color Spectrum of Concepts, inspired by Wittgenstein, is suggested in this article as a model to reveal the recent misconceptualizations in the realm of Daseinsanalysis between German and English and to prevent further misunderstandings. Using the analogy of the specific zones of a color spectrum, various signifiers may be considered points on this spectrum. It is suggested that new terms (neologisms), and restructuring daseinsanalytic equivalents, could be effective methods to signify the same concept in the target language which is pointed to in the source language.

Editorial

Maria Gren — 2024-11-26