SHELDON BACH’S RE-IMAGINATION OF NARCISSISM
Phyllis Beren, PhD; Fang Duan, PhD
Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2 and 9, 2027
7:30-9:00pm, in person(12 spots): 365 West End Ave, #7A, New York, NY
*Due to limited space availability, once registered, we are unable to issue any refunds*
Sheldon Bach reimagined narcissism over five decades, transforming it from a diagnostic category into a profound lens for understanding fundamental human vulnerabilities. His pragmatic explorations address narcissistic states, traumas, sadomasochistic object relations, dual modes of being, and the tension between aliveness and disembodiment. Influenced by Freud, Winnicott, Rapaport, Ferenczi, Balint, object relations, infant research, and psychosomatics, Bach advocated a holistic, intersubjective, and egalitarian psychoanalytic approach that values non-verbal and sensorial communication, affective “becoming,” and the patient as a partner in treatment. He expanded the clinical reach of psychoanalysis to diverse manifestations of narcissistic suffering and linked mental health to the capacity to sustain multiple perspectives.
This six-week seminar traces the development of Bach’s thinking on narcissism and its clinical implications. It explores how understanding the narcissistic pathologies underlying grandiosity, low self-esteem, aggression, and shame can foster emotional contact and transformation. The course highlights Bach’s attention to the existential dimensions of psychoanalysis, the unity of body and mind, self and other, and the importance of analytic love.
The seminar pairs Bach’s earlier and later papers, integrating theoretical insight, technical innovation, and holistic attention to clinical process. It offers psychoanalysts, candidates, and advanced clinicians a space to deepen their own thinking and practice.
9 Contact hours = 9 CE credits
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain conceptual and experiential understanding of narcissistic states of being and sadomasochistic modes of operation.
- Participants will develop greater capacity to recognize, tolerate, and work with these difficult clinical phenomena.
- Participants will gain familiarity with Bach’s contributions to the clinical understanding of and pragmatic approach to various manifestations of narcissistic vulnerabilities.
Required Text: Bach, S. (2016). Chimeras and Other Writings: Selected Papers of Sheldon Bach. International Psychoanalytic Books (IPBooks). All readings are drawn from this volume and are available on PEP-Web.
Phyllis Beren, PhD, is a Fellow, faculty member, and supervising training analyst at IPTAR. She is past President of IPTAR, former Director of the IPTAR Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program, and currently Co-Chair of the CAP Training Committee. She is the editor of Narcissistic Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment. She has published papers on child, adolescent, and adult treatment, contributed essays to Room: A Sketchbook for Analytic Action (on whose Editorial Board she serves).
Fang Duan, PhD, is a faculty member at IPTAR teaching courses on work with more disturbed patients and narcissism. She serves on the IPTAR Curriculum Committee, co-chairs the Beyond the Basic Curriculum Committee, and is a member of the Theoretical Consolidation Essay Committee. She earned her PhD in Education from Canada, focusing on human development at the intersection of cultures. Her research and publications explore the implications of psychoanalytic thinking for individual and societal development.
9 CE credits
- $480 general admission
- $330 IPTAR members
- $300 IPTAR candidates
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain conceptual and experiential understanding of narcissistic states of being and sadomasochistic modes of operation.
- Participants will develop greater capacity to recognize, tolerate, and work with these difficult clinical phenomena.
- Participants will gain familiarity with Bach’s contributions to the clinical understanding of and pragmatic approach to various manifestations of narcissistic vulnerabilities.
9 CE credits will be granted to participants who have registered, have documented evidence of attendance of the entire program and have completed the on-line evaluation form. Upon completion of the evaluation form a Certificate of Completion will be emailed to all participants who comply with these requirements.
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