CHAOS - FREEDOM – ORDER
Dear Colleagues!
Welcome to our Conference!
We would like to inform you that although the conference will be held in Hungarian, there will be English language section on both days of the conference, including online plenary lecture by John Steiner as the keynote speaker, followed by a hibrid clinical seminar. The Hungarian-language programs of the conference will not be translated into English. We welcome proposals for presentations and workshops within the English section. The extended deadline for abstract submission is May 30.
Date: 3-4 October 2025,
Location: Danubius Hotel Hungária City Center
Budapest, 1074 Rákóczi út 90.
„Come, freedom!
Give birth to order,
teach me with kind words,
allow me to play
with my beautiful, serious son!”
Attila József (translated by Peter Hargitai
CHAOS–FREEDOM–ORDER
One of Freud's most controversial statements in the early 20th century was "The self is not master of its own house" – that is, we are not free, our behaviour, feelings and thoughts are influenced by unconscious motives. Since then, this statement has become more and more accepted, and more and more theories have been put forward about what this lack of freedom consists of, what determinants determine the development of the self. Instincts, relationships, innate temperament, family–social environment, acquired and inherited physical traits and so on play a role in personality development to varying degrees – the debate is about which theory attributes the role of one factor or another.
External and internal order, external and internal freedom – these concepts help clarify our position and find the reference points. Our concept of normality has changed, and the boundaries of what can be accepted have expanded. allow me to play with my beautiful, serious son!' writes József Attila, capturing not only the essence of a therapeutic process but also the inner essence of our daily lives and social processes: without the freedom of play and imagination, order cannot emerge, or, as we use the term in this context, meaning cannot emerge in the therapeutic process or on a societal level. The question may arise whether we view chaos – temporary or permanent disorder – in therapy as a kind of limiting factor, or whether chaos itself is freedom, which, over time, 'gives birth to order'? Perhaps the opposite of freedom (the experience of possibilities) is not chaos (meaninglessness), but rather the lack of degrees of freedom, hopelessness. The alternating, fluctuating progression and regression, often only perceptible on a micro level, is a natural companion to the analytic process – but what happens if the balance is disturbed, and we remain stuck in a shared hopelessness for a long time? Enduring hopelessness, the feeling that nothing moves – perhaps one of the greatest challenges in a therapeutic process. But what are the impasses about, and what can help in getting unstuck?
We have a vastly increased knowledge of what can be behind a physical/mental symptom. A shift in perspective – the bio-psycho-social approach, and the greater integration of findings from neurobiological research into analytic thinking – can increase our freedom and may even move the therapeutic process forward from a serious impasse. Many problems (e.g. attachment and relationship problems, obsessive–compulsive and depressive symptoms) may take on a different meaning if diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder or ADHD serve not only as a pathological definition but also as a theoretical framework, and therapy is modified accordingly. At the same time, the role of early caregiving, upbringing, and the environment is no less important in cases where inherited, biological disorders are present. However, in some cases, it is not easy to separate what or to what extent each factor may be contributing to a particular trait.
Beyond the internal processes of therapy, we would like the group-level processes, the freedom experienced or not experienced within them, to also have space at the conference. Starting with our narrower professional community, a question might arise as to how free the colleagues in training really are. Is it possible for someone to be completely 'free' in a training analysis or supervision? And how free is the analyst, what can they show of themselves and what might burden the patient? Expanding the question of freedom/limitations to a broader context, what is the scope for professional communities in social processes? What could be the role of psychoanalytic thinking, and what are its limitations on the stage of society?
Our experience of personal freedom is closely linked to the quality of the environment in which we live. The reference groups, the settings of our individual and professional lives, determine how our identity is shaped and how much inner freedom we experience. Our roles are shaped within the system we feel a part of, and we contribute to how this system changes.
With this year's conference, we aim to create an opportunity to explore the question of how we can help our patients (and ourselves) achieve greater freedom in both our theories and practices, and how we can bring order to the increasing chaos that increasingly characterizes this century. The application of theoretical knowledge in practice is a slow process – the conference may serve to accelerate this by introducing new perspectives and enabling discussions.
Suggested topics:
Theoretical approaches
– The image of psychoanalysis in the 21st century
– How have our concepts of health and illness changed?
– The bio–psycho–social approach in psychoanalysis
– Biology, genetics, heredity: limit or freedom?
– Neuroscience and psychoanalysis
– "Neurodiverz – neurotypical" patients in therapy
– Neurobiological disorder and/or traumatisation
– The emergence of autism spectrum disorder and ADHD in therapies, the role of dynamic perspective in therapeutic work with these disorders
– The impact of psychoanalytic thinking: possibilities and limitations
Therapeutic process
– The freedom and limits of acceptance. What can the therapist accept and what can the patient accept?
– Impass, regression and progression in the therapeutic process
– Attunement and misattunement in the analytical process
– "Do you want to talk about it?" Humour in the therapeutic process
– Play and creativity in therapy
– Is association free?
– Therapeutic micro–processes, micro–events
– Evolution: regression and progression in therapeutic micro–processes
– Modern interpretations of transference and countertransference
The therapist
– Self–reflection of the analyst
– How does the therapist change, are we free enough to be capable of change?
– The possibilities and limits of the analytic: abstinence or transparency?
– Possible tools in the therapy to regain lost freedom
Training
– The order and freedom of psychoanalytic training
– Degree of freedom in experiential therapy/analysis: "the first for the association, the second for myself?"
– Freedom in supervision and study supervision
– The difficulties of becoming analyst
Society, interdisciplinary fields
– Inclusion in society and psychoanalysis
– Psychoanalytic interpretations of creative processes
– Degrees of freedom at collective level
– Psychoanalysis and society: influences and limitations
The form takes about 10 minutes to fill in.
Your registration will be complete upon payment of the participation fee.
We look forward welcoming you!
The Programme and Organizing Committee