Name of Presenter: Kathy Harting, LLC/LMHC
Presentation Title: Siblings in the Unconscious
Short Description: This presentation will bring an often neglected element of object relations into view. The relationship between siblings is often less thought about and has been a neglected topic in most training programs. This talk will introduce participants to Juliet Mitchell's ideas (as well as others), towards a better understanding of these important relationships in our therapeutic work with our clients.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe to key features of Mitchell’s theory, the Law of the Mother.
2. Identify two examples of unconscious fantasies that may emerge from early sibling relationships and their potential impact on adult relationships.
3. Identify two key differences between the law of the mother and the law of the father as described by Juliet Mitchell.
Sources:
Mitchell, J. . (2022). Why Siblings? Introducing the “Sibling Trauma” and the “Law of the Mother” on the “Horizontal Axis. “ The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child. (75) 121-139.
Mitchell, J. (2023). Fratriarchy: Sibling Trauma and the Law of the Mother. New York: Routledge
Ratner, A. (2024). Oedipus Returns: Everything You Wanted to Know about Milf’s But Were Too Uncomfortable To Ask. The American Psychoanalyst. Issue 58.1.
Sharpe, S. & Rosenblatt, A. (1994). Oedipal Sibling Triangles. Journal of The American Psychoanalytic Association, (42) 491-523.
Volkan V., Ast G., (1997). Siblings in the Unconscious and Psychopathology: Womb Fantasies, Claustrophobias, Fear of Pregnancy, Murderous Rage, Animal Symbolism. New York: Routledge
Presenter Bio: Kathy Harting is in private practice in Indianapolis. She studied at Christian Theological Seminary and The International Psychotherapy Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She graduated from the Psychoanalytic Training Program in 2024, and is currently the Chair of IPI Indy as well as Associate Faculty at IPI. She sees individuals and couples. In her spare time she loves to garden, cycle, and cook good food!
