PAST EVENTS

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

February, 2023
New York, New York

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

This discussion group is part of a seven-year series of two discussion groups each year at the national meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Dr. Maurine Kelly and I decided to present the formal research and ideas in this area that have been ongoing for more than 150 years.  Much of this research is of high quality and has often been ignored in theories of therapy and psychoanalysis, even though the early psychoanalysts were extremely interested in experiences of altered states of awareness and unusual communications.   In each group, we provide a balance of findings from research, case material, and anecdotal illustrations of unusual experiences.

This meeting will feature  Neil Helm, PhD, who will discuss Near-Death Experiences (NDEs).  Dr. Helm, a transpersonal psychologist, will present the history of NDEs, which have occurred for centuries, his research into present-day NDEs with examples from his interviews with experiencers, and his own near-death experience that took place when he was five years old.  We will leave time for discussion, questions and for participants to give examples of near-death experiences, if they wish to do so.

WERA 96.7 FM – LT FM

August, 2022

Hope, Love and Safety

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP

INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Fellows Program
Saturday, April 17, 2022
2:00 to 4:00 PM
The Saratoga
Washington, DC

DREAM INTERPRETATION

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP

Dreams are amazing creations of the mind that enable us to integrate the most important events and feelings that have occurred during the day or week with what we are already carrying with us from previous lived experience.  In this seminar, I focused on five ways to interpret dreams.  The first was examining associations to the dream that led to discovering new memories of old experiences and what triggered them in present day experience.   Often the best interpretations come from the dreamer herself and the interpretations can be part of a process that lasts for months, if new historical information is the goal. The second was discovering what happened during the day that triggered the dream in the first place and that is much easier to discover.  The third was exploring the feelings about the self and identity.  The fourth was the relationship with the therapist, and the fifth involved mechanisms for coping with life and some of the ways the unconscious helps us know what is best.

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

February 12, 2020
Hilton Hotel
New York, NY
Discussion Group #6

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

This discussion group is part of a seven-year series of two discussion groups each year at the national meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Dr. Maurine Kelly and I decided to present the formal research and ideas in this area that have been ongoing for more than 150 years.  Much of this research is of high quality and has often been ignored in theories of therapy and psychoanalysis, even though the early psychoanalysts were extremely interested in experiences of altered states of awareness and unusual communications.   Our discussion group provides the opportunity to discuss these experiences that create a sense of the ineffable, the spiritual, and the magical world.

In each group, we provide a balance of findings from research, case material, and anecdotal illustrations of unusual experiences. These altered states often occur during situations of extreme physical stress, particularly during life-threatening situations. They also are commonly reported after losses, during periods of grief and mourning. As people, we have a longing for comfort and security in something beyond the concrete and rational when extreme danger, trauma, or death of a loved one enters our lives. We also seem to have ways of knowing things, particularly through dreaming, that are startling and unexpected, and how we could know is not well understood.

At the February, 2020 meeting, Dr. Richard Reichbart will present fascinating examples of paranormal communication from his new book, The Paranormal Surrounds Us: Psychic Phenomena in Literature, Culture and Psychoanalysis.  He will present lively vignettes of psychoanalytic process, with emphasis on his own work and the work of Jule Eisenbud, his first analyst. His book not only discusses telepathic communication but also presents his observations of more controversial examples of “psi” or paranormal communication, such as thoughtography, apparitions, premonitions, remote viewing, psychokinesis and the relationship between magic and psi.  He will share some examples of these kinds of situations, leaving time for the discussants to comment, and time for all the participants to give examples of paranormal experiences, if they wish to do so.

INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Fellows Program
Saturday, April 17, 2021
2:00 to 4:00 PM
The Saratoga
Washington, DC

DREAM INTERPRETATION

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP

Dreams are amazing creations of the mind that enable us to integrate the most important events and feelings that have occurred during the day or week with what we are already carrying with us from previous lived experience.  In this seminar, I focused on five ways to interpret dreams.  The first was examining associations to the dream that led to discovering new memories of old experiences and what triggered them in present day experience.   Often the best interpretations come from the dreamer herself and the interpretations can be part of a process that lasts for months, if new historical information is the goal. The second was discovering what happened during the day that triggered the dream in the first place and that is much easier to discover.  The third was exploring the feelings about the self and identity.  The fourth was the relationship with the therapist, and the fifth involved mechanisms for coping with life and some of the ways the unconscious helps us know what is best.

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

Friday, June 21, 2019
Intercontinental Hotel
San Diego, CA
Discussion Group #6

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

At the meeting on June 21, 2019, we raise the question, “Are some identical twins and other genetically related family members more likely to report anomalous experiences than others?”  In this Discussion Group, we will report on the formal research and anecdotal evidence that predict the greater likelihood of reporting anomalous, uncanny and paranormal experiences when people are genetically related than when they are not, except in the case of people who are unusually good at accessing paranormal information.  Reports of telepathic experiences and other unusual knowledge will be discussed.  We encourage participants to present examples from their own experiences to enrich the discussion.

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

February 6, 2019
Hilton Hotel
New York, NY
Discussion Group #2

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

Are some individuals more likely to report anomalous experiences than others?  This Discussion Group will report on the research on individual differences that predict the greater likelihood of reporting anomalous, uncanny and paranormal experiences.  The ganzfeld experiments, reports on telepathic dreams, and other unusual knowledge will be discussed.  The importance of knowledge of scales and measures of individual differences in hypnotizability and dissociation will be discussed.  Both the presenters and participants will have the opportunity to present examples.

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

Friday, June 23, 2018
1:30 – 3:30 PM
Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL
Discussion Group

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

This meeting will focus on the work Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, PhD, summarized in her book Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind. She and Carol Gilligan, PhD led an earlier Discussion Group that began in 2003, the first Discussion Group on research into anomalous experiences.  Dr. Gilligan will begin our discussion with her memories of Dr. Mayer and their work together.  Participants will learn more about their findings that people at times get information that seems impossible to discover by the usual means. We will discuss examples of uncanny and anomalous experiences and the models that currently are being used to describe these experiences.

DIVISION 39 SPRING MEETING
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Thursday, April 19, 2018
2:00 – 3:45 PM
Intercontinental Hotel, New Orleans, LA
PANEL:  RESEARCH COMMITTEE

Favorable Analytic Processes:
Illustrations from Recorded Analyses

Sherwood Waldron, MD, Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP,
Robert D. Scharf, MD, Karl Stukenberg, PhD, Steven Alexrod, PhD

Material from four adjacent early sessions from one of our most successful of 27 recorded analyses will be presented and discussed.  The clinical material will illustrate how a dynamic approach to a core conflict, in the context of building a strong relationship with this initially withdrawn and defeated patient, led to immediate positive changes, presaging the overall course of the analysis.

INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Fellows Program
Saturday, March 10, 2018
2:00 to 4:00 PM
The Saratoga
Washington, DC

DREAM INTERPRETATION

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP

In this seminar, I will focus on ways to interpret dreams.  Dreams are amazing creations of the mind that enable us to integrate the most important events and feelings that have occurred during the day or week with what we are already carrying with us from previous lived experience.  Examining associations to the dream with the dreamer can lead to discovering new memories of old experiences and what has triggered them in present day experience.   Often the best interpretations come from the dreamer.

Dreams can tell us about our mechanisms for coping with life and some of the ways the conscience can help us know what is best.   Dreams can help us know our deepest feelings when we are unaware of them in our daily life.   Dreams can show us solutions to our problems, and many scientists have made important discoveries with the help of their dreams.

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

Thursday, February 15, 2018
9:00 – 12:00 PM
Hilton Hotel, New York, NY
Discussion Group #2

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS:
TELEPATHIC DREAMS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

Theories of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis often have ignored experiences of altered states of awareness and uncanny communications, and our Discussion Group on Dreaming will provide the opportunity to discuss some of these experiences.

We will provide examples from case material and anecdotal illustrations.   Altered states of awareness that allow knowledge of uncanny information often occur during situations of extreme physical stress, particularly those that are life-threatening, and situations that arouse strong emotion.  Uncanny experiences are commonly reported after losses, during periods of grief and mourning.   As people, we have a longing for comfort and security in something primordial when extreme danger, trauma, or death of a loved one enters our lives.   We also seem to have ways of knowing things that are startling and unexpected, and how we could know is not well understood.

The topic for discussion is dreaming, and we will pay special attention to dreams that may include unexpected and uncanny information occurring through some means of unusual awareness.  We will present some vignettes from clinical work and we hope participants also will present examples.

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

Friday, June 9, 2017
1:30 – 3:30 PM
Hilton Hotel, Austin, TX
Discussion Group #1

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS:
DISSOCIATION

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

Theories of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis often have ignored experiences of altered states of awareness and unusual communications, and our Discussion Group on Dissociation will provide the opportunity to discuss some of these experiences.

We will provide a balance of findings from research, case material, and anecdotal illustrations of unusual experiences.   These altered states often occur during situations of extreme physical stress, particularly during life-threatening situations, and other kinds of traumatic experiences. They also are commonly reported after losses, during periods of grief and mourning.   As people, we have a longing for comfort and security in something primordial when extreme danger, trauma, or death of a loved one enters our lives.   We also seem to have ways of knowing things that are startling and unexpected, and how we could know is not well understood.

The continuum of dissociation ranges from very common mild dissociation seen in the usual self-states to the less common dissociation seen in trance states and different personalities or alters.  We will present historical vignettes and we encourage participants to present examples.

INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Psychoanalytic Training Program
Tuesday, April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 2017
8:00 to 9:15 PM
The Saratoga
Washington, DC

DREAMS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD, ABPP

The major focus of this course is different ways of interpreting dreams and how to use dreams as part of the psychoanalytic process.   The focus is on the collaborative work between the person who comes for psychoanalysis and the psychoanalyst in terms of discovering more about the unconscious and other aspects of the inner life and how these discoveries can interact with the life purpose and relationships with other people.  The course includes ideas and articles by Freud, Isakower, Reiser, Bergmann, Kohut, Shevrin, Brakel, Helm, Gray, Goldberger, Lothane, and Robbins.

Radio Program – Online Dating and Finding New Relationships

WERA 96.7 FM – LT FM
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
(Click to hear interview with Dr. Fonya Helm)

AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

Wednesday, January 18, 2017
9 AM – 11 AM
Waldorf Hotel, New York, NY
Discussion Group #1

ALTERED STATES OF AWARENESS

Fonya Lord Helm, PhD,ABPP & Maurine Kelber Kelly, PhD, FIPA

We are planning a seven-year series of two discussion groups each year at the national meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Theories of therapy often have ignored experiences of altered states of awareness and unusual communications, and our discussion group will provide the opportunity to discuss these experiences that create a sense of the ineffable, the spiritual, and the magical world.

We will provide a balance of findings from research, case material, and anecdotal illustrations of unusual experiences. These altered states often occur during situations of extreme physical stress, particularly during life-threatening situations. They also are commonly reported after losses, during periods of grief and mourning. As people, we have a longing for comfort and security in something beyond the concrete and rational when extreme danger, trauma, or death of a loved one enters our lives. We also seem to have ways of knowing things, particularly through dreaming, that are startling and unexpected, and how we could know is not well understood.

Our first discussion group will focus on near-death experiences (NDEs). These unusual experiences can create a numinous experience, enhanced perception, and a sense of connection to the spiritual world. Most NDEs are positive experiences, and they can lead to transformative reorganizations of personality that include greater empathy for other people and greater concern for the community. In some cases, though, they can be upsetting. and all NDEs are riveting experiences that are very important. Previous adjustments to both family life and work will change and psychotherapy and psychoanalysis can help.