Dr. Gila Ashtor joins Austin McCann for a wide-ranging conversation on Jean Laplanche, the future of psychoanalysis, and why the field must be willing to question its own foundations. Beginning with their shared path into psychoanalysis through the humanities, they discuss the relationship between theory and clinical practice, the limits of contemporary analytic training, and the importance of cultivating a culture of critique rather than preserving tradition for its own sake.
The conversation explores Laplanche's theories of seduction, enlarged sexuality, and the fundamental anthropological situation, offering an accessible introduction to one of psychoanalysis's most original contemporary thinkers. Along the way, they examine why concepts like the Oedipus complex may need to be rethought, what it means to practice "faithful infidelity" toward Freud, and how psychoanalysis can remain open to transformation without abandoning its past.
The episode concludes by turning to contemporary clinical questions—including dissociation, pseudo-selfhood, AI therapy, and the role of risk and asymmetry in treatment—arguing that psychoanalysis offers something increasingly rare: a space where genuine intimacy, uncertainty, and transformation remain possible.
*image: "Incipit Vita Nova (Here begins a new life)" (Aubrey Beardsley, 1893, c/o The Public Domain Review)
What is Little Hysterics?
Conversations on the contemporary relevance of psychoanalytic thought and practice, hosted by Austin McCann. Brought to you by the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, a nonprofit institute devoted to the study, practice, and public life of psychoanalysis.
Questions? Comments? Fantasies? email us: littlehysterics@ccpsa.org