This course explores ‘enactments’ as a dynamic and inevitable phenomenon in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Drawing on the seminal works of Owen Renik, Theodore Jacobson, Lewis Aron, Joseph Sandler, and other contemporary theorists, we will examine how enactments emerge at the intersection of transference, countertransference, and repetition compulsion.

Participants will learn to identify, interpret, and navigate these therapeutic moments, viewing them not as obstacles but as opportunities for deep clinical insight and transformation. The course emphasizes a relational and intersubjective approach to understanding and working through enactments using case examples and theoretical discussions.

By the end of the course, participants will gain practical tools and a nuanced understanding of how to use enactments as a catalyst for growth, healing, and greater therapeutic depth. This course is designed for clinicians seeking to deepen their ability to engage with complex relational dynamics and foster meaningful change in their practice.

Instructor: Don Schimmel, PhD, is a psychologist and psychoanalyst with over 50 years of experience working with adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families. A former senior faculty member of the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, he has taught widely on Self Psychology, Relational and Intersubjectivity Theory, and the development of Freud’s legacy. He has also taught numerous courses and seminars on treating children, adolescents, and their parents.

Learning Objectives:  

Participants will be able to:

1.    Articulate at least three defining features of enactments.
2.    List at least one reason why enactments in psychotherapy are often necessary and inevitable.
3.    Explain how enactments intersect with key concepts, including transference, countertransference, one-person vs. two-person psychology, repetition compulsion, acting out, and the negative therapeutic reaction.

Fee: $125 Alliance Members/$150 Alliance Non-Members