Representation

Two years ago, in May, I attended a conference held by Neville Symington in Lisbon, under the title: Healing the mind. It was only after he spoke that I had the chance to speak to him, exchange some words and ask if he would supervise my practice. He warmly said yes, and many fortunate encounters have followed since then. These are the words I wrote and the thoughts I kept from his first striking lecture:

Representation means embracing the pain, which is itself painful in a way that is totally new for us. That’s why there is resistance - the force that pushes against representation and demands immediate discharge. When we finally feel sad it means we began to paint a picture, a picture of the absence, a picture of the loss. We are then able to relate to an image of the storm (not the storm itself) and experience all the lightning and thunders in a safe harbor.

Dutch fishing boats in a storm, Turner, 1801.