The Arnold Pfeffer Center for Neuropsychoanalysis of the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute presents a regular lecture series in which researchers speak on topics of relevance to psychoanalysis. Topics have included emotion, memory, drive and motivational processes, affect regulation, development, and clinical work with neurological patients. Presenters have included behavioral, cognitive, and affective neuroscientists; developmental neurobiologists; neurologists; cognitive psychologists; neuropsychologists; and neuropsychoanalytic researchers. Some of the leading investigators in their fields have presented at the Pfeffer Center, including Beatrice Beebe, Antonio Damasio, Vittorio Gallese, Eric Kandel, Joseph Ledoux, Helen Mayberg, Jaak Panksepp, and Vilyanur Ramachandran.
See upcoming lectures by clicking here.
For a list of our programs going back to 2006, please click here.
History
The Pfeffer Center developed out of a working group of psychoanalysts who began meeting in the early 1990s at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, to explore the emerging findings in neuroscience which were of relevance to psychoanalysis, thereby bridging a long-standing separation between the domains. Led by Arnold Pfeffer, this group included senior members of NYPSI such as Mortimer Ostow, David Milrod, and Peter Neubauer. During a series of presentations by Mark Solms on depth neuropsychology, this group became formalized as the Neuroscience and Psychoanalysis Study Group. This group, which then evolved into the Arnold Pfeffer Center for Neuropsychoanalysis of the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute, then began to invite other researchers to speak and opened the meetings to the public.
Lecture series
The Pfeffer Center meetings are held at 10:00 am at NYPSI on the first Saturday of every month (excluding January, July, August, and September). Presentations are followed by discussion. These meetings are open to the public.
Leadership
Robert Scharf, M.D., Chairman
Mark Solms, Ph.D., Director
Neuroscientific Advisory Board
Joan Borod, Ph.D.
Jason Brown, M.D.
Antonio Damasio, M.D., Ph.D.
John DeLuca, Ph.D.
Wolf-Dieter Heiss, M.D.
Nicholas Humphrey, Ph.D.
Eric Kandel, M.D., Ph.D.
Marcel Kinsbourne, M.D.
Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D.
Benjamin Libet, M.D.
Detlef Linke, M.D.
Rudolfo Llinas, M.D.
John Marshall, Ph.D.
Karl Pribram, M.D.
Vilayanur Ramachandran, M.D.
Todd Sacktor, M.D.
Michael Saling, Ph.D.
Daniel Schacter, Ph.D.
Allan Schore, Ph.D.
James Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D.
Tim Shallice, Ph.D.
Wolf Singer, M.D.
Max Velmans, Ph.D.