"Disenchantment and Its Role in Psychic Liberation: A Psychotherapeutic Approach"
On December 10, 2016 (10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Argosy University in Orange, CA) in an event sponsored by the Orange County Psychological Association (OCPA), I will be presenting a workshop entitled "Disenchantment and Its Role in Psychic Liberation: A Psychotherapeutic Approach."  Utilizing the construct "disenchantment" articulated in Buddhist psychology and various spiritual writings, I will present a perspective on therapeutic function that centers on the patient's capacity to de-link from emotional states and relational tendencies originating in the legacy of attachment.  The process of disenchantment will be conceptualized as a newly-refined psychic pathway forged during therapeutic moments in which the ego abandons integrative, defensive, and resolving functions and opts, instead, for disintegrative functions.  For more information on this workshop and directions on how to register, please contact the Orange County Psychological Association.


"Reviving Oedipus and Electra: The Paradigm of the 'Erotic Hinge' "
On November 12, 2016 in a symposium on contemporary gender roles sponsored by the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, I presented a paper entitled "Reviving Oedipus and Electra: The Paradigm of the 'Erotic Hinge'".  In this paper, I drew from classical theory to articulate a structure for heterosexual romantic love that organizes the male and female partners into viable revisions of Freud's "phallic position" and his notion of female psychic-sexual development.  The modern couple's capacity to attain this structure (what I call the "Erotic Hinge") is a protective factor against the many contemporary challenges that limit the possibility of finding and maintaining fulfilling romantic love relationships. The Erotic Hinge has served as a useful tool in my clinical practice for individuals and couples who have been negatively impacted by repetitive enactments, role diffusion, narcissistic and co-dependent tendencies, diminishment of sexual and emotional intimacy, and infidelity. 
 

The Buddhism and Romantic Love Group 
A long-time practitioner of insight meditation (known as "vipassana" in the Buddhist tradition), I have found in my personal study and experience of Buddhism and the Dharma a range of significant ideas regarding psychological and spiritual identity that have considerable applicability to contemporary love relationships. Buddhist concepts such as attachment, the conditioned mind, impermanence, "anata" (emptiness; no self), discernment, and liberation constitute components of a vast ideology that offers a direct commentary on the many issues and dilemmas often responsible for suffering in adult romantic love. Given this applicability, I have recently started a psychoeducational group directed toward understanding how constructs from Buddhist psychology may be used to conceptualize and overcome contemporary relationship challenges.  This group is devised to appeal to a wide audience and does not assume any knowledge or endorsement of Buddhist principles.  The goal, instead, is to explore how Buddhist ideology may be applied to a consideration of how we get "stuck" in love relationships and how we may be freed.   The group meets on the first and third Saturday of every month (for more information and directions on how to register, please contact me at jt@jamestobinphd.com or at 949-338-4388). 
 
   
 
James Tobin, Ph.D., PSY 22074 | 949-338-4388 | jt@jamestobinphd.com