Short Course: “So You Think It’s An Illusion” – Exploring the Metaphysical and Supernatural in the Therapeutic Process ~ April 21, 2024

Understanding a patient’s hallucinations requires a degree of cultural humility when these experiences are consistent with beliefs that are normative to the patient’s culture and religion. This presentation explores the psychoanalytic treatment of a 32-year-old female Iranian patient who reported that she had been witnessing jinn since she was fifteen years old. Having experienced considerable disempowerment and lack of support in her upbringing, she curiously believes that the jinn provide her with comfort and power, yet simultaneously create a sense of fear and horror. When her analyst wonders about a possible link between the jinn and the patient’s self-object needs and what was denied for her in her youth, the patient becomes resistant to treatment, especially when the possibility of the jinn existing as hallucinations is raised. Process notes and records of the therapy treatment showcase the patient’s tumultuous marriage, her strained relationship with her family, and inner conflicts. She begins to find solace in her transference with her therapist, the relationship satisfying her self-object needs and enabling her to widen her self-awareness and her wish for deeper connections with others. In understanding her needs and fears, we aim to understand the role of the jinn in her psychological landscape. We will explore together  how to work with patients experiencing supernatural phenomena, and how the phenomena may serve as an object. The overall aim is to shed light on the intricate interplay between cultural and religious beliefs and psychological manifestations.

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze how cultural beliefs, like the perception of jinn in Iranian culture, influence the psychoanalytic process.
2. Assess the dynamics between patient and therapist in cases where cultural beliefs and psychological issues intersect and conflict.
3. Develop strategies for maintaining cultural sensitivity and respect while addressing psychological issues that involve supernatural beliefs.
4. Identify projective identification and transference in psychotherapy, especially in culturally diverse settings.
5. Apply knowledge of cultural beliefs and practices to enhance clinical understanding and treatment outcomes in psychotherapy.

This program is appropriate for clinicians at all levels of experience and offers 2 Diversity CEs

You will receive the instructions for connecting to Zoom a week before the event.

 About our Speakers:

Mehravar Javid, PhD earned a PhD in counseling at the prestigious Shahid Chamran University in Iran. She was ranked as the top student and researcher in the country in both degrees. Further, she was a Member of the National Elites Foundation of Iran. Dr. Javid saw patients in a Family Counseling Center, Psychiatric Hospital, and in Private Counseling Centers. She subsequently graduated from the Comprehensive Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the Tehran Psychoanalytic Institute, emphasizing a Self -Psychology approach. She trained for a Theory Track including Selected Classical literature, Object Relations, Emotional Development, and Contemporary Psychoanalysis. Afterwards, by working in various clinics, she has provided psychotherapy to patients with a variety of mental disorders, concerns, and issues such as personal (OCD, GAD, sexual abuse, depression), family, marital, and professional. She has ‎published over 30 journal papers and written or translated several books.‎ She has experience in film analysis, and teaching in the University and Tehran Psychoanalytic Institute. In 2021 Dr. Javid was a Fellow of the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis. As a postdoc fellow at George Washington University, Dr. Javid provides psychoanalytic psychotherapy and supervises doctoral students.

Rohma Hassan, MPsy is a fourth year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at The George Washington University. She has experience working across the lifespan for both therapy and assessment, and has worked in private practice and hospital settings. Her clinical interests include object relations theory, feminist theory, neuropsychological assessment, spirituality, and trauma-informed therapy. She is particularly interested in working with refugees and asylees and individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. She plans on completing an internship next year in order to round out her graduate level training.

References:

Guthrie, E., Abraham, S., & Nawaz, S. (2016). Process of determining the value of belief about jinn possession and whether or not they are a result of mental illness. BMJ Case Reports, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2015-214005

Hecker, T., Barnewitz, E., Stenmark, H., & Iversen, V. (2016). Pathological spirit possession as a cultural interpretation of trauma-related symptoms. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 8(4), 468–476. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000117.supp

Hecker, T., Braitmayer, L., & van Duijl, M. (2015). Global mental health and trauma exposure: The current evidence for the relationship between traumatic experiences and spirit possession. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6(1), 29126. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v6.29126

Lim, A., Hoek, H. W., & Blom, J. D. (2015). The attribution of psychotic symptoms to jinn in Islamic patients. Transcultural Psychiatry, 52(1), 18–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461514543146

Rassool, G. H. (2018). Evil Eye, Jinn Possession, and Mental Health Issues: An Islamic Perspective. Routledge.

Rüschoff, I., Kaplick, P.M. (2018). Integrating Islamic Spirituality into Psychodynamic Therapy with Muslim Patients. In C. York Al-Karam, Ed., Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy: Uniting Faith and Professional Practice (pp. 127-151). Templeton Press.

Volkan, K. (2023). The Jinn: Islam, Exorcism, and Psychology. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/rdq9x

Cost and Registration:

$75    ICP+P Members
$35    ICP+P 1st +2nd Year Members, Emerging Professionals, MITs and Graduate Student Members, and Fellows
$35    Unaffiliated Students and Fellows
$90    Non-Members
$60   International Attendees (Outside US)

A refund for cancellation is available up to 10 days before the start date.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Limited space is available. Registration will be capped at 30 with a waitlist and will close 12:00 pm ET on Friday, April 19th, 2024.

Continuing education credit:  2.0 Diversity CE credits available for full attendance. The Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (ICP+P) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. ICP+P maintains responsibility for this program and its content. ICP+P is approved by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners to offer Category I continuing education credit. As our CE program receives oversight from a licensed social worker, the CE credits we award are highly likely to be recognized by licensing boards in Virginia and the District of Columbia. These continuing education credits meet the ANCC standards for nurses. Marriage and family therapists licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia may submit these CE credits to their licensing boards. (Marriage and family therapists in other jurisdictions and licensed counselors should inquire with their local Boards regarding continuing education credit.) Attendees from the above professional groups will earn 2.0 CE credits for attending the CE activity. Full attendance is required to receive the designated CE credit. ICP+P is accredited by MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. ICP+P designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

* Mehravar Javid, PhD, Rohma Hassan, MPsy, and the planners have informed us that they do not have a conflict of interest and have disclosed that they have no relevant financial relationships with any commercial interests pertaining to this educational activity. Any references to “off-label” (non-FDA approved) use of medication, products or devices will be explicitly disclosed in the presentation.

CE Credit is granted to participants with documented attendance at the short course. Credit will not be granted to registrants who are more than 15 minutes late or depart more than 15 minutes early from a session.