Deconstructing Davanloo

Deborah Pollack and Maury Joseph
  • 5.0 (7)
  • SALUD MENTAL

Habib Davanloo was the developer of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), a type of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy that has gained popularity in recent decades. Davanloo's work is bold, original, and compelling, yet often presented with a certainty that leaves little room for reflection or alternative viewpoints. Deconstructing Davanloo offers another path: reading his cases with space open for context, critique, and dialogue about multiple levels of meaning. By engaging his ideas thoughtfully, we aim to support the evolving, creative development of the ISTDP tradition.

  1. HACE 5 DÍAS

    Episode 18 - The Case of the German Architect, part 9

    In this episode Deb and Maury continue with an analysis of the German Architect case. They consider the ways that Davanloo's approach can be seen as an attempt to convince the patient to do the work. They also discuss the potential implicit or explicit assumptions of what constitutes a "cure" in ISTDP and in psychotherapy more generally. References Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Kovel, J. (1980). The American mental health industry. In Ingleby, D. (Ed.), Critical Psychiatry: The Politics of Mental Health. New York: Pantheon. pp. 72-101. James, B. (Host). (2026, May 14). Catherine Liu | The Problem With Trauma Culture | HITW 165 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENktQEsdwds&t=4500s

    38 min

  2. 25 ABR

    Episode 17 - The Case of the German Architect, part 8

    On this episode, Deb and Maury continue to wrestle with the meaning of the German Architect’s slip of the intellect, react to the post breakthrough exploration, and become especially interested in the dynamic meaning of certain literary choices in the construction of the case write up— why are transcripts sometimes used, and at other times narratives? What are the differences in experience for the reader, when transcript is included vs summarized? They are also struck by a radical shift in the case, and begin to wonder how that came about. References: Abbass, A. (2015). Reaching through resistance: Advanced psychotherapy techniques. Seven Leaves Press. Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Langs, R. (1978). The listening process. Jason Aronson. Ogden, T. H. (1997). On psychoanalytic writing. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 78(2), 267–285.

    46 min

  3. 9 ABR

    Episode 16 - The Case of the German Architect, part 7

    In this episode, Maury and deb explore part 2 of the German architect case, and continue to explore Davanloo’s interpretation of events, and offer new, alternate conceptualizations of their own. They discuss issues of diagnosis and technique with passive transference resistance, think about the thorny issue of interrupting patients in ISTDP, and struggle with the limitations of transcript and the ambiguities it creates. Beyond all that, they seem to be having a pretty damn good time. Stay tuned for more soon. References Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Deutsch, H. (1992). The therapeutic process, the self, and female psychology: Collected psychoanalytic papers. Transaction Publishers. Freud, S. (1957). Mourning and melancholia (J. Strachey, Ed. & Trans.). In The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 243–258). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1917) Jung, C. G. (1969). Answer to Job. Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1952) Langs, R. (1978). The listening process. Jason Aronson. Weiss, J., Sampson, H., & the Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group. (1986). The psychoanalytic process: Theory, clinical observations, and empirical research. Guilford Press.

    1 h 8 min

  4. 26 MAR

    Episode 15 - Within the hermeneutic circle

    In this episode, a listener comment gets our hosts thinking deeply about the role of interpretation in istdp. They consider the interpretive acts that are woven into the fabric of istdp , but that often go unnamed and unexamined. References: Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Klein, G. (1976). Psychoanalytic theory: An exploration of essentials. International Universities Press. Lingiardi, V., & McWilliams, N. (Eds.). (2017). Psychodynamic diagnostic manual: PDM-2 (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.  Messer, S. B., Sass, L. A., & Woolfolk, R. L. (Eds.). (1988), Hermeneutics and psychological theory: Interpretive perspectives on personality, psychotherapy, and psychopathology.

    52 min

  5. 20 MAR

    Episode 14 - The German Architect, So What?

    In this episode, Deb and Maury ask the question, "So What?" after their analysis of the first part Davanloo's German Architect case. They consider the impact of the certaintistic language and voice that is used in the chapter and how that might impact the reader. They discuss the importance of therapist self-doubt and allowing space in learning communities for dissent and differences of opinion. References: Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Nissen‐Lie, H. A., Rønnestad, M. H., Høglend, P. A., Havik, O. E., Solbakken, O. A., Stiles, T. C., & Monsen, J. T. (2017). Love yourself as a person, doubt yourself as a therapist?. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 24(1), 48-60. Ravven, H. M. (2013). The self beyond itself: An alternative history of ethics, the new brain sciences, and the myth of free will. The New Press. Texier, H., & Watson, E. (Eds.). (2025). Freud's principal case studies revisited: Freudian-Lacanian psychoanalysts reconsider the legacy. Routledge.

    54 min

  6. 11 MAR

    Episode 13 - The German Architect, part 6

    In this episode Deb and Maury continue to marvel at the range of possibilities for understanding the part 1 of the German architect case, and share several hypotheses for what could be happening in the case that go beyond Davanloo’s formulation. The discuss issues of authority, compliance, and omniscience as these emerge in the case. As they finish their read through of part 1 of the case, they begin to consider what they’ve learned, and try to couple their critique with empathy for Davanloo, for the pressures he was under as he was writing these foundational texts. New music by Danny Joseph! References: Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Malcolm, J. (1981). Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

    1 h 5 min

  7. 24 FEB

    Episode 12 - The Case of the German Architect, part 5

    n their continued close read of the German Architect, Deb and Maury highlight issues around suggestion and leading the witness, philosophy of science questions around creating falsifiable hypotheses, and they offer alternate lines of interpretation in the case, especially regarding the emergence of the story of the man in the bistro. Importantly, they offer the possibility that the incident with the man in the bistro is not unequivocally a “breakthrough,” but might also reflect a variation on the earlier defiant transference enactment that has become visible in the case. They finish by reflecting on the importance of revisiting and reinterpreting cases, rather than accepting any one interpretation as final. References: Apfelbaum, B., & Gill, M. M. (1989). Ego analysis and the relativity of defense: Technical implications of the structural theory. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 37(4), 1071-1096. https://doi-org.libezproxy2.syr.edu/10.1177/000306518903700410 (Original work published 1989) Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. (Wiley). Pollack, D. (2024). On closing the frame: An existential argument for setting a time-limit in ISTDP. Journal of Contemporary ISTDP.

    54 min

  8. 11 FEB

    Episode 11 - The Case of the German Architect, part 4

    In this episode, Deb and Maury continue their exploration of the German Architect, and encounter a number of complex topics. First is the possibility of a parapraxis, a possible mishearing by Davanloo, that might reveal the meaning-making system through which Davanloo filters the patient's behavior and speech. Then, they consider a critique of the notion of a "locked" unconscious, and the ways that concept can shape a therapist's perception of the clinical process. Finally, they examine the complex interpersonal process of the transcript, considering both Davanloo's and alternate narratives of the interaction that's unfolding, leading to a discussion of the potentials and pitfalls that occur when the therapist begins to behave in a way that might reinforce, rather than challenge and resolve, the patient's transference resistance. References: Davanloo, H. (1990). Unlocking the Unconscious. Wiley. Kuhn, N. (2014). Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, a reference. Experient, Charleston, SC Joseph, M. (2025). The spirit of ISTDP. Journal of contemporary ISTDP, 3, 122-133 Racker, H. (1972). The meanings and uses of countertransference.  Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 41, 487-506

    55 min
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Habib Davanloo was the developer of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), a type of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy that has gained popularity in recent decades. Davanloo's work is bold, original, and compelling, yet often presented with a certainty that leaves little room for reflection or alternative viewpoints. Deconstructing Davanloo offers another path: reading his cases with space open for context, critique, and dialogue about multiple levels of meaning. By engaging his ideas thoughtfully, we aim to support the evolving, creative development of the ISTDP tradition.

Información

  • Creador
    Deborah Pollack and Maury Joseph
  • Años de actividad
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodios
    18
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © Deborah Pollack and Maury Joseph
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Deconstructing Davanloo

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