WMIP 2026 ‘Unbearable Otherness’ Conference

Organised by:

West Midlands Institute of Psychotherapy

Description

In this conference we will explore the psychic turbulence that arises in states of mind where otherness is experienced as too different, too separate, or too intrusive.  Whether expressed through omnipotence, projective attack, idealisation, or the refusal or fear of another’s separate subjectivity, these psychological states present challenges familiar to all psychotherapists and mental health practitioners. These ways of relating can be found in critical states of distress, but also in the subtler corners of everyday clinical work.

Our keynote speakers, Dr Susan Mizen and Philip Stokoe, will each offer distinct but complementary perspectives on the dilemmas that can challenge coming in and out of relating.  Their psychoanalytic contributions will support participants to think about how we work therapeutically with the threat of difference and the intolerance of otherness within our practice.

To book, email admin@wmip.org