Curriculum Overview
Our curriculum revolves around the study of existential philosophy and phenomenology, including Fredrich Nietzsche, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty; the Greeks, including Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans (Epicurus), the Stoics (Epictetus), the Sceptics (Pyrrho); and seminal psychoanalysts who to varying degrees embody an existential sensibility, including but not limited to Sigmund Freud, C. G. Jung, Jacques Lacan, and especially R. D. Laing, the inspiration for how we conceive the interface between existential philosophy and psychoanalysis. Other thinkers and clinicians will also come into play from time to time. Moreover, our faculty enjoy more than three hundred years of teaching among them, and are accomplished thinkers and authors in their own right.
The didactic portion of our training is broken down into four 8-week segments, with liberal breaks in between. We convened one day a week, for two back-to-back 90-minute sessions. The first session will be theoretical, the second devoted to clinical presentations. We also convene a bi-weekly reading group for classical existential philosophical texts.
Below we provide an outline of our first two years of didactic seminars. (All meetings occur from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesdays unless otherwise indicated.)
New School for Existential Psychoanalysis Curriculum
(All meetings occur from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesdays unless otherwise indicated.)
September 10, 2024 – June 17, 2025
AUTUMN 8-WEEK TERM
1A. Michael Guy ThompsonEvenly Suspended Attention: FreudTuesday, Sep 10
1B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Sep 10
2A. Michael Guy ThompsonEvenly Suspended Attention: BionTuesday, Sep 17
2B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Sep 17
3A. Michael Guy ThompsonEvenly Suspended Attention: PyrrhoTuesday, Sep 24
3B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Sep 24
4A. Michael Guy ThompsonEvenly Suspended Attention: AcceptanceTuesday, Oct 1
4B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 1
5A. Douglas Kirsner (meets 5 pm Pacific)*R. D. Laing and Jean-Paul SartreTuesday, Oct 8
5B. Rinat Tal (meets 6:30 pm Pacific)Case ConferenceTuesday, Oct 8
*NOTE: Due to time differences between Europe, the US, and Australia, Doug Kirsner will schedule TWO sessions of his didactic seminars: one for the Continental US, the other for Europe.
6A. Douglas Kirsner (meets 5 pm Pacific)*R. D. Laing and Jean-Paul SartreTuesday, Oct 15
6B. Rinat Tal (meets 6:30 pm Pacific)Case ConferenceTuesday, Oct 15
7A. James NorwoodEros and AgapéTuesday, Oct 22
7B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 22
8A. James NorwoodEros and AgapéTuesday, Oct 29
8B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 29
MID-TERM TWO-WEEK BREAK
WINTER 8-WEEK TERM
1A. Jon MillsFreud’s Theory of Mind ITuesday, Nov 19
1B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Nov 19
1B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Nov 19
2A. Jon MillsFreud’s Theory of Mind IITuesday, Nov 26
2B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Nov 26
3A. Jon MillsHegel: Psyche as Inner ContradictionTuesday, Dec 3
3B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Dec 3
4A. Jon MillsHeidegger: Truth, Freedom, DeterminismTuesday, Dec 10
4B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Dec 10
THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY BREAK
5A. Sanford RosenbergHusserl: The Phenomenological Reduction (Epoché)Tuesday, Jan 7
5B. Sanford RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 7
6A. Sanford RosenbergSartre: Critique of Husserl’s Transcendental ReductionTuesday, Jan 14
6B. Sanford RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 14
7A. Rinat TalContemporary Psychiatry: Cure? or Heal?Tuesday, Jan 21
7B. Rinat TalCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 21
8A. Rinat TalContemporary Psychiatry: Cure? or Heal?Tuesday, Jan 28
8B. Rinat TalCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 28
MID-TERM TWO-WEEK BREAK
SPRING 8-WEEK TERM:
1A. Astréa RibeiroNietzsche: TBATuesday, Feb 18
1B. Astréa RibeiroCase ConferenceTuesday, Feb 18
2A. Astréa RibeiroNietzsche: TBATuesday, Feb 25
2B. Astréa RibeiroCase ConferenceTuesday, Feb 25
3A. Douglas Kirsner (meets 5 pm Pacific)Laing on Freud’s INTRODUCTORY LECTURESTuesday, Mar 4
3B. Astréa Ribeiro (meets 6:30 pm Pacific)Case ConferenceTuesday, Mar 4
4A. Douglas Kirsner (meets 5 pm Pacific)Laing on Freud’s INTRODUCTORY LECTURESTuesday, Mar 11
4B. Astréa Ribeiro (meets 6:30 pm Pacific)Case ConferenceTuesday, Mar 11
5A. James NorwoodScepticism and NeutralityTuesday, Mar 18
5B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 18
6A. James NorwoodScepticism and NeutralityTuesday, Mar 25
6B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 25
7A. Michael Guy ThompsonWhat Is Authenticity?Tuesday, Apr 1
7B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 1
8A. Michael Guy ThompsonWhat Is Authenticity?Tuesday, Apr 8
8B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 8
MID-TERM TWO-WEEK BREAK
SUMMER 8-WEEK TERM:
1A. Jon MillsTBATuesday, Apr 29
1B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 29
2A. Jon MillsTBATuesday, May 6
2B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 6
3A. Nita GageMaud MannoniTuesday, May 13
3B. Nita GageCase ConferenceTuesday, May 13
4A. Nita GageMaud MannoniTuesday, May 20
4B. Nita GageCase ConferenceTuesday, May 20
5A. Michael MontgomeryMeaning and Purpose: CamusTuesday, May 27
5B. Michael MontgomeryCase ConferenceTuesday, May 27
6A. Michael MontgomeryMeaning and Purpose: CamusTuesday, Jun 3
6B. Michael MontgomeryCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 3
7A. Michael Guy ThompsonFreedom and WillTuesday, Jun 10
7B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 10
8A. Michael Guy ThompsonFreedom and WillTuesday, Jun 17
8B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 17
THREE MONTH BREAK COMMENCES JUNE 17 UNTIL SEPTEMBER 9, 2025
Mid-Summer Graduation and Party!
R. D. Laing in the Twenty-First Century
Symposium: WHAT IS CHANGE?
ASILOMAR: July 20-25, 2025
September 5, 2023 – June 18, 2024
AUTUMN 8-week Term:
1A. Michael Guy ThompsonThe Unconscious: FreudTuesday, Sep 5
1B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Sep 5
2A. Michael Guy ThompsonThe Unconscious: SartreTuesday, Sep 12
2B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Sep 12
3A. Michael Guy ThompsonThe Unconscious: HeideggerTuesday, Sep 19
3B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Sep 19
ONE WEEK BREAK: ESALEN
4A. Michael Guy Thompson“Unconscious Experience”Tuesday, Oct 3
4B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 3
5A. Jon MillsJung and Analytical Psychology ITuesday, Oct 10
5B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 10
6A. Jon MillsJung and Analytical Psychology IITuesday, Oct 17
6B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 17
7A. Jon MillsMerleau-PontyTuesday, Oct 24
7B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 24
8A. Jon MillsFoucaultTuesday, Oct 31
8B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, Oct 31
MID-TERM TWO-WEEK BREAK
WINTER 8-week Term:
1A. Douglas KirsnerR. D. Laing: Sanity and MadnessTuesday, Nov 21
1B. Rinat TalCase ConferenceTuesday, Nov 21
2A. Douglas KirsnerR. D. Laing: AuthenticityTuesday, Nov 28
2B. Rinat TalCase ConferenceTuesday, Nov 28
3A. James NorwoodWhat Is Called Thinking?Tuesday, Dec 5
3B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Dec 5
4A. James NorwoodWhat Is Called Thinking?Tuesday, Dec 12
4B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Dec 12
THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY BREAK
5A. Michael Guy ThompsonWhat Is Neurosis?Tuesday, Jan 9
5A. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 9
6B. Michael Guy ThompsonWhat Is Psychosis?Tuesday, Jan 16
6B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 16
7A. Sanford RosenbergHillman and PhenomenologyTuesday, Jan 23
7B. Sanford RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 23
8A. Sanford RosenbergHillman and PhenomenologyTuesday, Jan 30
8B. Sanford RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 30
MID-TERM TWO-WEEK BREAK
SPRING 8-Week Term:
1A. Astréa RebeiroNietzsche and the UnconsciousTuesday, Feb 20
1B. Astréa RebeiroCase ConferenceTuesday, Feb 20
2A. Astréa RebeiroNietzsche and the SelfTuesday, Feb 27
2B. Astréa RebeiroCase ConferenceTuesday, Feb 27
3A. Douglas KirsnerR. D. Laing: On LoveTuesday, Mar 5
3B. Sandy RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 5
4A. Douglas KirsnerR. D. Laing: On Altered StatesTuesday, Mar 12
4B. Sandy RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 12
5A. James NorwoodWhat Is Called Thinking?Tuesday, Mar 19
5B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 19
6A. James NorwoodWhat Is Called Thinking?Tuesday, Mar 26
6B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 26
7A. Michael Guy ThompsonThe Divided Self: Schizoid PhenomenonTuesday, Apr 2
7B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 2
8A. Michael Guy ThompsonThe Divided Self: Ontological InsecurityTuesday, Apr 9
8B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 9
MID-TERM TWO-WEEK BREAK
SUMMER 8-Week Term:
1A. Jon MillsRicoeurTuesday, April 30
1B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, April 30
2A. Jon MillsDerridaTuesday, May 7
2B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 7
3A. Jon MillsA Critique of PostmodernismTuesday, May 14
3B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 14
4A. Jon MillsCritical Social Justice and Psychoanalysis TodayTuesday, May 21
4B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 21
5A. Fritjof CapraThe Essence of LifeTuesday, May 28
5B. Rinat TalCase ConferenceTuesday, May 28
6A. Fritjof CapraThe Essence of LifeTuesday, Jun 4
6B. Rinat TalCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 4
7A. Michael Guy ThompsonGoal of Psychoanalysis:
Happiness or Unhappiness?Tuesday, Jun 11
Happiness or Unhappiness?Tuesday, Jun 11
7B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 11
8A. Michael Guy ThompsonGoal of Psychoanalysis:
Happiness or Unhappiness?Tuesday, Jun 18
Happiness or Unhappiness?Tuesday, Jun 18
8B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 18
TWO MONTH BREAK COMMENCES FROM JUNE 19 UNTIL SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
(Tentative date for 2024 Esalen Symposium: mid-July 2024)
September 6, 2022 – June 20, 2023
AUTUMN 8-week Term:
1A. Michael Guy ThompsonWhat Is Authenticity?Tuesday, Sep 6
1B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceThursday, Sep 8
2A. Michael Guy ThompsonWhat Is Authenticity?Tuesday, Sep 13
2B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceThursday, Sep 15
3A. Michael Guy ThompsonFreedom and WillTuesday, Sep 20
3B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceThursday, Sep 22
4A. Michael Guy ThompsonFreedom and WillTuesday, Sep 27
4B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceThursday, Sep 29
5A. Douglas KirsnerLaing on Freud’s INTRODUCTORY LECTURESTuesday, Oct 4
5B. Heather LaFaceCase ConferenceThursday, Oct 6
6A. Douglas KirsnerLaing on Freud’s INTRODUCTORY LECTURESTuesday, Oct 11
6B. Heather LaFaceCase ConferenceThursday, Oct 13
7A. Douglas KirsnerLaing on Freud’s INTRODUCTORY LECTURESTuesday, Oct 18
7B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceThursday, Oct 20
8A. Douglas KirsnerLaing on Freud’s INTRODUCTORY LECTURESTuesday, Oct 25
8B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceThursday, Oct 27
WINTER 8-week Term:
1A. Jon MillsIntroduction to Phenomenology: HegelTuesday, Nov 15
1B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceThursday, Nov 17
2A. Jon MillsIntroduction to Phenomenology: Husserl and Merleau-PontyTuesday, Nov 29
2B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceThursday, Dec 1
3A. Jon MillsIntroduction to Onto-Phenomenology: HeideggerTuesday, Dec 6
3B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceThursday, Dec 8
4A. Jon MillsIntroduction to Onto-Phenomenology: SartreTuesday, Dec 13
4B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceThursday, Dec 15
5A. Michael Guy ThompsonTransferenceTuesday, Jan 10
5A. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 10
6B. Michael Guy ThompsonCountertransferenceTuesday, Jan 17
6B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 17
7A. Sanford RosenbergPhenomenology of PresenceTuesday, Jan 24
7B. Sanford RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 24
8A. Sanford RosenbergPhenomenology of PresenceTuesday, Jan 31
8B. Sanford RosenbergCase ConferenceTuesday, Jan 31
SPRING 8-Week Term:
1A. Wilfried Ver EeckeHegel and LacanTuesday, Feb 21
1B. Wilfried Ver EeckeCase ConferenceTuesday, Feb 21
2A. Wilfried Ver EeckeHegel and LacanTuesday, Feb 28
2B. Wilfried Ver EeckeCase ConferenceTuesday, Feb 28
3A. Douglas KirsnerR. D. Laing & Jean-Paul SartreTuesday, Mar 7
3B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 7
4A. Douglas KirsnerR. D. Laing & Jean-Paul SartreTuesday, Mar 14
4B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 14
5A. James NorwoodPyrrhonismTuesday, Mar 21
5B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 21
6A. James NorwoodPyrrhonismTuesday, Mar 28
6B. James NorwoodCase ConferenceTuesday, Mar 28
7A. Michael Guy ThompsonFreud’s Technical PapersTuesday, Apr 4
7B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 4
8A. Michael Guy ThompsonFreud’s Technical PapersTuesday, Apr 11
8B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Apr 11
SUMMER 8-Week Term:
1A. Jon MillsAnalytical PsychologyTuesday, May 2
1B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 2
2A. Jon MillsPoststructuralism: LacanTuesday, May 9
2B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 9
3A. Jon MillsHermeneutics: RicoeurTuesday, May 16
3B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 16
4A. Jon MillsThe Postmodern Turn: Foucault and DerridaTuesday, May 23
4B. Jon MillsCase ConferenceTuesday, May 23
5A. Fritjof CapraThe Essence of LifeTuesday, May 30
5B. Astréa RibeiroCase ConferenceTuesday, May 30
6A. Fritjof CapraThe Essence of LifeTuesday, Jun 6
6B. Astréa RibeiroCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 6
7A. Michael Guy Thompson & Douglas KirsnerCritique of Contemporary PsychoanalysisTuesday, Jun 13
7B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 13
8A. Michael Guy Thompson & Douglas KirsnerCritique of Contemporary PsychoanalysisTuesday, Jun 20
8B. Michael Guy ThompsonCase ConferenceTuesday, Jun 20
TWO MONTH BREAK COMMENCES FROM JUNE 20 UNTIL SEPTEMBER 5 2023
