Workshops Poland on Couch is an initiative of group analysts aimed at building a safe space for conversation – the basis of social life. The roots date back to 2014, when I co-organized an international conference Poland on the Couch – about the strength and fragility of the individual in the contemporary global world seen from the perspective of social and psychodynamic psychology. During the conference, analysts together with representatives of the world of science and the media discussed together what is happening in the Polish society.

The conference has become an inspiration for the organization of the reflective citizens workshops held in different cities in Poland, in which representatives of diverse environments can have an opportunity to reflect on social processes.

The workshops usually take place in accordance with the following plan:

I. Social Dreaming Matrix (SDM) – an hour and a half free discussion on the subject of dreams told by individual participants of the meeting together with the commentators of the leaders and with reference to the current and past social situation.

Or

Trilogy – moderated by group analysts discussion in three circles on the following topics: What is for me to be a Polish citizen now? (first circle); Reflections on the first discussion, analysis of revealed emotions and main themes (second circle); Placing both discussions in the social context: local and national (third circle).

II. Short speeches of two or three invited guests, which are a free answer to the main subject of the workshop – that is the question What does it mean to me to be a citizen of Poland?

III. A large group, based on a free floating discussion, during which on the one hand we pay attention to the wider social context, but also to the interaction between the participants of the workshop.

Information about past and current workshop can be found on:

• ⊂⊃  link 

• ⊂⊃  link 

• ⊂⊃  link 

If we wish to organize a workshop in your community please contact: a.zajenkowska@vizja.pl

The project resulted also in two books:

• Zajenkowska, A. (ed.) (2016). Polska na kozetce – siła obywatelskiej refleksyjności (Poland on the couch – the power of citizens’ reflexivity). Sopot: Smak Słowa

• Zajenkowska, A., & Levin, U. (Eds.). (2019). A Psychoanalytic and Socio-cultural Exploration of a Continent: Europe on the Couch. Routledge.

A Psychoanalytic and Socio-Cultural Exploration of a Continent. Europe on the Couch is a book that comprises three parts: General reflections; Particular understanding; and Practical interventions. The first and second one concentrate on analyzing processes and dynamics utilizing psychoanalytic and group analytic concepts: from the macro, that is more an European level and from the micro, that is a specific country level perspective. The third part presents some of the current applications of psychoanalytic and group analytic concepts as tools for enhancing national and international change in countries as well as on the „continent as a whole”.

⊂⊃  link 

One type of intervention dedicated to improving the understanding of the social world, other people’s intentions, and one’s own inner states is Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT; Bateman & Fonagy, 2008; Bateman & Fonagy, 2010), which includes psycho-educational training. We have been implementing this module to work with people prone to violence, i.e. inmates, juvenile delinquents. We focus on exploring the efficacy of the program by investigating change in hostile attribution both in case of emotions recognition and interpretation of social events.

⊂⊃  link