
RU387- IRIS HEFETS & AVGI SAKETOPOULOU ON RESIGNING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOANALYTICAL ASSOCIATION (IPA)
Mar 24, 2026
08:44
RU387: IRIS HEFETS & AVGI SAKETOPOULOU ON RESIGNING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOANALYTICAL ASSOCIATION (IPA) https://renderingunconscious.substack.com/p/ru387-iris-hefets-and-avgi-saketopoulou
Rendering Unconscious episode 387.
On this episode, Avgi and Iris discuss their experiences with, criticisms of, and ultimately resignation from the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA). This conversation highlights the German Psychoanalytic Association’s historical ties to Nazi Germany and the IPA’s problematic stance concerning global political issues, particularly the genocide in Palestine. Both Iris and Avgi emphasize the need for psychoanalysis to address political realities and call for resignations from the IPA to challenge its claim of neutrality and liberal tokenism, ultimately advocating for a more radical and politically engaged psychoanalytic practice.
Sign the petition HERE. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfR9rB2cf0MxH-UyH8V6yODmBGIJ7s4FHxTO5qbtvtImBz-rg/viewform
You do not need to be a psychoanalyst or a member of the IPA to sign: "By signing, you declare to those still inside the IPA that the global psychoanalytic and mental health community will not look away: that continued affiliation with an institution providing cover for genocide is irreconcilable with the ethical foundations of our work. Every signature, from within and from without, deepens the moral weight of this call and makes it harder for members to treat their membership as a private, apolitical choice. It is not. It is a position, and we are asking you to reckon with what that position means."
Read the letters of resignation HERE. https://www.pmhn-international.org/they-resigned
Support The Palestine Global Mental Health Network. https://www.instagram.com/palestinegmhn
Read “Just Say Genocide: The Problem of Truth Sadism” by Avgi Saketopoulou. https://thebattleground.eu/2024/11/28/just-say-genocide/
Read Indifferenz: “Neutrality” at the European Psychoanalytic Federation Conference by Lama Khouri. https://www.parapraxismagazine.com/articles/indifferenz
Read The Conscripted Container: How to reach beyond the psychoanalytic erasure of the Palestinian by Lama Khouri. https://www.thekeymagazine.com/p/psychoanalysis-palestine-un-jordan-racism
Check out previous episodes with these guests:
RU298: ON PALESTINE & PSYCHOANALYSIS WITH AVGI SAKETOPOULOU, LARA SHEEHI, CARTER CARTER, MOLLY MERSON, ISABEL MILLAR, IAN PARKER, RAZZAN QURAN & VANESSA SINCLAIR
RU254: ON THE STATE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS WITH AVGI SAKETOPOULOU, ANN PELLEGRINI, MOLLY MERSON, CARTER CARTER, MARY KIM BREWSTER, LARA SHEEHI, STEPHEN SHEEHI & VANESSA SINCLAIR
RU247: AVGI SAKETOPOULOU & ANN PELLEGRINI ON GENDER WITHOUT IDENTITY
RU228: AVGI SAKETOPOULOU ON SEXUALITY BEYOND CONSENT: RISK, RACE, TRAUMATOPHILIA
RU144: AVGI SAKETOPOULOU & JONATHAN HOUSE – LAPLANCHE IN THE STATES: THE SEXUAL AND THE CULTURAL
News & events:
Thursday, April 2nd join me in welcoming Dr. Owen Hewitson for Unconscious Generational Transmission: A Psychoanalytic Perspective" https://www.tickettailor.com/events/renderingunconsciouscenterforpsychoanalysis/2099148
Friday, May 1st: LIVE RU Podcast event with Lara Sheehi on May Day for her new book From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures (Pluto Press, 2026). https://rucenterforpsychoanalysis.substack.com/p/live-ru-podcast-event-with-lara-sheehi
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If you are interested in pursuing psychoanalytic treatment with me, please feel free to contact me directly: www.drvanessasinclair.net/contact/
Thank You.
